To Build a Home - 25 Days of Captain Swan Christmas
by saviourshope
Summary: A collection of ficlets from 500-1000 words revolving around Christmas-y stuff. Loads of fluff and hopefully no angst. Can be read as separate chapters or as a full story.
1. Day 1 - Mistletoe

_I've decided to try 25 days of Christmas fic again. 3 (or is it 4) years ago I failed miserably but who knows… I will try my best. The timeline's after they defeated the Snow Queen and the chapters can be read separately or at least I hope so x'D_ _I will post one chapter a day, each with it's own little prompt word and the chapters should be between 500-1000 words. Enjoy!_

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**Day 1 – Mistletoe**

The start of winter comes slowly and they're all grateful for it. With the Snow Queen in town, their autumn had been short and cold most of the time and now that she's gone, everyone is enjoying the sun and the remaining warmth of the year.

Fingers laced together, she's walking towards the clearing in the woods with Killian by her side. She hasn't left his side for more than a few minutes if she could help it, making sure he was safe and okay. She knows his heart was safe again, tucked away in its rightful place and protected by magic so no one could ever take it again, but she is still worried someone might try to take him from her.  
He rubs the back of her hand with his thumb and she smiles up at him and it takes his breath away just as it always does. With his heart gone, he had not felt as fully as before but now that it was back he felt even more strongly. The sunlight played with her hair, making it shine like a halo around her face and he returned her smile, stopping and pulling her close to him.  
Emma laughs and the two of them touch their foreheads together, breathing the same air. She's caressing his cheek with her thumb and just revels in the fact that he's alive and with her and that he is hers.

"The other's will be waiting," she huffs quietly after a few seconds.

"Aye but they will not leave without saying goodbye," he reassures her.

"Still, we shouldn't let them wait to long…"

They're on their way to see Elsa, Anna and Kristoff off but Emma wants to drag it out for as long as she can. She's still not good with goodbyes and after the last one she finds it even harder. Hook, as always, reads her like an open book and places a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry love, we will see them again."

"I hope so," Emma replies and sighs.

She leans a bit further into him, taking a second to gather herself and then she walks on. The trees around them are still covered in colourful leaves even though it's almost December. It's strange seeing as the Snow Queen had brought the cold with the wall around town but Emma doesn't care. She's enjoying the colours and the sun and every moment she gets to spend with someone she loves. She can hear his footsteps behind her and she turns around.

"Come on, old man, keep up," she teases knowing fully well what his reaction will be to her little stab and she is not disappointed when he grunts at her.

"I have told you many times Swan, I have retained my youth quite well as you will have noticed by now."

She grins a wicked grin because he's quite right, he has retained his youth more than well enough and she almost blushes as she thinks of entangled limbs between a mess of sheets, tousled hair and his name on her lips. It's become easy, being with him. It's like breathing and he's all the air she needs. She holds out her hand to him.

"I have noticed, doesn't mean you're not old though."

He grunts again, ignoring her hand and she has to laugh, her head falling back as the sound fills the trees. When she opens her eyes she can spot something hanging down from one of the branches.

"Come here for a minute," she tells him and he shuffles forward, head slightly cocked to the side, his hand wanting to scratch his ear but waiting to see what she wants. When he stands right in front of her she points up and he follows her finger.

"What's that, love?"

"It's a mistletoe," she replies.

"I recognise that yes but you appear to want to tell me something important about this plant."

"There's a tradition in this land, you know," she starts to explain. "During Christmastime people like to hang them up and whenever two people find themselves under a mistletoe, they have to kiss."

"People voluntarily stand below a mistletoe to kiss anyone who happens to come by and stand under it with them?" he asks, a confused look on his face.

"No, silly. They hope to find themselves under one with a person they hope wants to kiss them just as much as they want to kiss them."

He nods then, taking a small step closer to her and a grin tugging at his lips.

"I doubt a lady like yourself would like to find herself under a mistletoe with a pirate, no matter how dashing he is."

Now she's the one taking a step closer, lacing her fingers with his and bringing his arm around her. "I don't know. I do quite like pirates you know. If one happened to come around, I should not refuse," she tries to imitate his way of speaking, making him laugh.

She can feel his laughter vibrate though her, they're so close now and it doesn't matter that they've shared plenty of kisses before, she still wants him as badly as ever.

"Kiss me, Killian," she whispers, bringing her free hand up to cup his cheek but he is quicker, his lips meeting hers because he needs her just as much as she needs him. The kiss is tender and sweet at first and sends shivers down her spine, making her lips tingle. She goes too weak in the knees and her stomach flips, butterflies flying around and she still can't believe they've made it. His tongue is teasing her lips and she grants him access with a moan, pressing herself against him. He tastes of wood and sea and salt and rum and _him_ and she's addicted to him with no cure.

"There you are!" Anna's voice breaks them apart and they both have to take a deep breath, their faces taking on a faint pink glow.

Anna notices and starts babbling. "Oh…I'm so sorry, I interrupted something. I didn't mean to, I just, Elsa thought you might have gotten lost, or forgotten about us, or…"

"It's fine, Anna," Emma laughs, steadying herself on Killian.

"Yeah, okay. So, I'll just wait…over there," Elsa's quirky sister apologises and turns around.

Emma looks at Killian, her lips still tingling from the kiss and she can see that he is just as flustered as she and they both chuckle, taking each other's hand.

"We'll have to find more mistletoes," he whispers into her ear before tugging her towards the clearing.

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_Thoughts are always appreciated!_

_Oh, I'll be posting around midnight GMT, maybe a bit earlier (or later today...)_


	2. Day 2 - Hot Chocolate

_Darlings, your reviews make me extremely happy, keep'm coming ;)_

_This is earlier than yesterday because I _really _need to finish my TA paper and then go to bed and as I am already dead tired I just want to go to bed as soon as I've written my last sentence... _

_Enjoy! _

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**Day 2 – Hot Chocolate**

It's been a few days since her friends have left for Arendelle and although there's plenty to do in Storybrooke even without a villain wrecking havoc, she still has quiet moments where she misses Elsa. Her family love her and support her as does Hook and she has control over her magic now but that doesn't change the fact that Elsa understood her for other reasons.

It's mostly the evenings that make her contemplate all these things, when her parents are taking a walk with her little brother and Henry is at Regina's for dinner and Killian is at the dock or somewhere.

She is staring a whole into the window, seeing nothing, when there's a knock on the door. It takes her a second to register the sound but then she gets up.

"You know you can just walk in," she smiles when she opens the door to Killian standing there, cheeks flushed from the cold night air, eyes sparkling like the stars.

"I am still just a guest here so I will knock and let you open the door," he responds. Emma shakes her head at his old fashioned attitude, smiling nonetheless.

"If I had my own place, could I make you walk in without knocking?"

He steps into the apartment, his hand at the small of her back when she turns and he grins at her.

"Quite likely you could, love."

He aims straight for the kitchen, opening a cupboard, taking out two cups, opening another cupboard, taking out the cocoa-powder and cinnamon and then finding the milk in the fridge.

"What are you doing?" Emma asks confused.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Well, it looks like you want to make cocoa. But you don't know how to make cocoa."

"Darling, I may be a pirate from a different realm, but I have lived in this world long enough to have learnt a few things. I know how much you enjoy this beverage and seeing as you are once again in a brooding mood, as I knew you would be, I thought I could use these new skills to get your mind off everything else."

Emma can't help but blink nervously, words spinning in her mind but never leaving her mouth. It's only hot chocolate, but it's still something she's not used to; Having someone who looks after her and takes care of her and cares for her – she really is still getting used to that.

She can see on his face that he understands and knows what is going through her mind so she leans on the counter instead of saying anything and watches as he heats the milk (he tries the microwave but gives up fairly quickly, settling for the old fashioned way of heating it on the stove, making her stifle a laugh) and a few minutes later, after he tops both cups with a mountain of cream, she gets to taste the most delicious hot chocolate of her life and it has nothing to do with the fact that he made it, nothing at all.

She watches as he takes a sip from his own cup, resulting in a cream-moustache. She leans across the counter and places a kiss on his lips, lapping up the extant cream with her tongue and then he has his hands in her hair and his tongue is battling her tongue and she's balancing on her bar stool, trying not to fall down while kissing him with everything she's got, one hand steadying herself on the counter, the other grabbing the collar of his leather jacket, pulling him closer. The worries of the evening are forgotten because she may miss her friend, but she has Killian and she knows he will never go anywhere without her, he will always be there for her and that may have been an uncertain thing before with his heart missing but now she knew it was true.

They both break apart when they hear the doorknob turn. Their cheeks are flushed and their breathing is shallow and their lips swollen from the kiss. She leans her forehead against his, trying to regain some countenance before her parents enter the room.

"I really need my own place," she whispers so only Killian can hear.

"No coffee tonight then," he chuckles, earning a slap against the shoulder from his Swan.

"Not to worry, the hot chocolate is quite a good substitute as well," he adds lightly.

"Substitute for what?" David asks, as he closes the door behind him.  
With a sigh, Emma looks into Hook's eye, mouths a quiet "own place" and then lets her head drop exasperatedly onto her arms.

Coffee was definitely out of the question now.

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_Yes, I'm cockblocking on purpose. Tell me what you think, will you? =)_


	3. Day 3 - Snow

_You guys are lovely! (this one is a bit of a filler I'm sorry, I've been working on my uni paper until an hour ago or so and I haven't had time to really write a chapter...hopefully tomorrow will be better)_

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**Day 3 – Snow**

She's sitting at her desk at the station when Hook walks in. His footsteps echo on the linoleum floor as he comes up behind her and places a chaste kiss on her cheek. She smiles, turning around in her chair, straddling him and pulling him in for a real kiss. Killian steadies himself on her desk, humming happily but eventually he breaks the kiss, looking at the files on her desk.

"Anything on the Crocodile?" he inquires.

She shakes her head. "Still nothing. He knows how to cover his tracks."

That Gold had gotten away nagged at her and had done so for the past weeks. She wanted to get him and make him pay for what he'd done.

"Don't worry, Swan, you will find him," Killian reassures her, as always reading her thoughts. Still having a strong desire to get revenge on Gold and having had that desire for some time, the pirate knows just how Emma feels but he is also too happy to be alive to worry with thoughts of revenge. All that matters to him is Emma; that she's safe and that she stays safe.

"Of course I will and when I do he can get a taste of my magic," the blonde says through gritted teeth. If Hook didn't want revenge, she certainly did. Gold had tried to take Killian _and_ Henry away from her and she would not stand for that. If the wizard ever showed his face again in Storybrooke, she would deal with him. She would kick his arse to the moon and make sure he stayed there for eternity although she had a feeling his wife might beat her to it. Now however, was not the time to contemplate on such gloomy matters and Killian reminded her of that when he placed some newspaper cut-outs on her desk.

"What are these?" Emma asks, taking a closer look.

"Your son asked me to give them to you."

She picks the paper up and reads, realising they're all rental adverts.

"He's looking for apartments again."

Killian nods in response. "If I recall correctly you said you needed your own place. In fact, I recall you saying that multiple times and as recently as last night."

Emma chuckles. "True," she says.

After her parents had gotten home, the evening had turned into a quiet family gathering which was nice but the tension between her and Hook had been growing steadily and she had _really_ wished she had her own place. "Wanna help me find a place then?" she asks, a mischievous sparkle in her emerald eyes. Killian grins, leaning in for another kiss. "There is nothing I would like more, and I have already made a few arrangements for you" he croons into her lips, making her smile.

It's freezing when they get outside, winter has finally caught up and Emma quickly closes her jacket.

"It smells of snow…" she contemplates.

Killian raises an eyebrow at her. "Have you gained the ability of a weather frog in addition to your lie detection since being able to control your magic?"

Emma grins and rolls her eyes at him. "You'll know when I start croaking. But all joking apart, can't you smell it?"

He shrugs his shoulders and she adds, "It certainly smells cold though, the way it smelled in the ice cave".

The pirate immediately tucks her into his side, his good arm around her waist, trying to share his body heat with her. He's never been particularly bothered by the cold whereas she seemed to feel it more intensely since her little adventure in the cave with Elsa. Additionally, he had become even more protective of her, wanting to make sure that she lacked absolutely nothing.

They walk arm in arm to the dock and the further they get, the windier it becomes. Henry has picked out apartments close to the sea, for her sake as much as Hook's. Her son had played quite the trick on Killian while he was under the influence of the curse and he still felt bad for it. Every Storybrooke citizen tried to overlook what happened during the curse but it didn't always work. In Henry's case he wanted to make sure Killian knew he was okay with his relationship with his mother and apparently picking out apartments by the sea was the way forward now.

They spend the afternoon inspecting apartment after apartment, sharing kisses in between and Emma wonders what her life with her pirate was going to look like from now on after she realises that the last apartment they look at is perfect for _them_. She is about to mention something to him, when the elated look on his face draws her attention towards the window of the flat they're standing in.

"It's snowing," he states, stepping towards her.

It's only then that she can see the faint fall of snow in the glow of a streetlamp and she smirks.

"I told you it smelled of snow."

"Yes you did. And as ever, you were quite right," he says, supporting as always. He's standing right next to her and she leans into his side, still looking outside the window.

"What do you think? Could you get used to this view?" she mutters almost inaudibly but he hears her, putting his arm around her, following her gaze to the shadows outside the window. He knows the sea is there somewhere, obscured now by the steadily heavier snowfall and the night that has settled in and he can sense that Emma likes this place and yes, he could get used to this so he nods and places a kiss on her forehead.

"I think we just found an apartment…," she purrs, turning around to wrap her arms around him.

Their eyes meet and the snow falling outside is not the only thing left she can lose herself in.  
"I see you found the living room. It's a very spacious and bright room by day," the realtor, whom both Hook and Emma have completely forgotten, explains, walking into the room. Emma, who was just about to kiss her boyfriend, sighs, letting her forehead drop onto his shoulder in frustration. Were they never going to get a private moment of their own?

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_As always, let me know what you think? You'd make me a very happy bunny and happy bunny writes better ;)_


	4. Day 4 - Candy Cane

_I don't know what this is. Seriously, I'm so sorry it just kinda got out of hand (excuse the pun). I am not trying to make fun of Hook btw, Emma loves him the way he is, this is just a...temporary improvement. _

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**Day 4 - Candy Cane**

After the troubles with the Snow Queen, Emma is surprised to find herself enjoying the fluffy snow that has settled everywhere in the past couple of days, covering Storybrooke in white, making it look like a gingerbread town. She's even more surprised to find herself looking forward to Christmas though. Christmas to her used to be wishful thinking of a family who would want to make a little girl happy for the holidays and decide on adopting her, it was wishful thinking of presents under a tree and singing and joyful evenings beside a fire. Her reality were noisy meals in a room full of gloomy kids who had no family, a present that consisted of socks and if she got lucky a bar of chocolate. The previous year she'd spent a wonderful Christmas with Henry. They had celebrated in a grand fashion, ice skating at Rockefeller, buying an enormous tree that they then had to drag up to their apartment, baking Christmas cookies, adding extra cinnamon to their cocoa and just spending time together, just like they always did. Only now Emma knows that most of those memories were fake and she feels more than ready to make some real festive Christmas memories and apparently, snow was part of that too.

She's walking down the street, chuckling when she sees the dwarfs trying to get all the snow out of the way. _Seven snow shovelers shovel seven shovels full of snow _she remembers a tongue twister from her childhood.

Stomping her feet on the front porch to shake of the snow, she opens the door to Granny's, welcoming the warmth of the place. She can't feel the tip of her nose and her fingers are getting limb but when she spots Killian waiting for her in one of the booths, the warmth spreads from inside out.

She slides in on the opposite bank and he smiles when he sees her rosy cheeks, coloured from the cold and her hair flowing out under one of her many beanies.

"I just signed the lease," she smiles happily at Hook.

"That's wonderful, love," he returns, taking her hand. "When are you moving in?"

"Well, since this is Storybrooke and there's plenty of apartments standing empty including my new one, I can move in tomorrow. No more sharing a flat with my parents, a baby and a teenage son. Well, Henry will move with me of course but it's definitely an improvement," she winks at him and Killian chuckles.

He leans in over the table and she mirrors his movement. They're only a few inches apart and both have a mischievous grin on their face.

"One day I will learn what you were like as that bar wench in the Enchanted Forest," he teases, "because you, woman, have very wicked thoughts."

"You have no idea, Killian," she breathes playfully, letting her hand caress his hook-arm, past the brace until she reaches the hook itself. "If this weren't so inappropriate in here, I would show you now. However," she adds, inspecting the hook and feeling rather playful, "as I am in a very Christmas-y mood and haven't practised much magic as of late, I think this could look nicer if I did that…" she finishes, waving her hand and watching the silver hook turn red and white, transforming into a candy cane and she can't help but laugh.

Meanwhile, Killian looks at his hook with astonishment and then turns to her again. "Swan…this isn't funny…" he complains and when Ruby places a mug in front of Emma and sees the candy cane hook, laughing heartedly about it, he grumbles.

"Oh come on, Killian, you have to admit it is at least a little bit funny," Emma grins, winking at Ruby who immediately agrees with the saviour.

"It's useless like that," he continues to complain but Emma's laugh is contagious and she is simply glowing when she's this happy so he has to try and hide his smile.

"Well," Emma starts, "I don't quite agree with that."

She starts to slide out from behind the table, looking at Ruby. "Sorry Ruby, I don't think I'll have the cocoa today," she tells her, turning around to face Killian before Ruby can reply.

Emma leans on the table and takes his arm. "I suggest we find out if this is a real candy cane," she almost whispers, letting her tongue run over her lips for a split second. It renders him rather speechless and she can see his eyes darken as his smirk returns to his handsome face. He is up faster than she thought possible and with a small apologetic look in Ruby's direction, Emma and Killian almost run out of the diner, giggling like irresponsible teenagers.

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_Thoughts? Suggestions? Praise? Criticism? Anything?_


	5. Day 5 - Christmas Tree

_First of all, I love you people very much, thank you so much, it's lovely to see that what I write is something people like! (To Julianna: The Mistletoe is the first day but it might come back at some point ;D)_

_Anyway. This chapter is more Swan Believer than Captain Swan but it's very related and I feel it's very important for all of them and I actually rather like it. Also, I'm not later than usual but it's once again 3am and I desperately need sleep so I'm just gonna go now and maybe post day 6 really early tomorrow.  
Anyway... ENJOY! (also, it's longer than I wanted it to be)_

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**Day 5 - Christmas Tree**

She watches Henry and Hook unload the few boxes with her possessions that have accumulated over her past few years in Storybrooke. They're substantially more than when she first arrived, especially since she had lived in New York with Henry in the meantime as well. They'd brought quite a few things back with them after Henry had remembered their lives in Storybrooke and now they were getting everything into their new apartment, including furniture she'd stored in a storage unit in NY and had the good foresight to have brought to Storybrooke right after they'd defeated the Snow Queen. Her parents had helped her load everything into her dad's pick-up and Killian was more than happy to help unload it, with his hook being an actual hook again and not a candy cane. Not that he had complained at all anymore, on the contrary, he'd been more than happy to let her play with it. She blushes slightly,thinking of all the things she'd done to him and all the things he'd done to her.

Trying to get her mind off of it, her eyes follow Killian and Henry as they carry one of the heavier boxes from the entry to where she's standing in the kitchen. She's amazed at how strong Henry has become, remembering the little boy he was when he first knocked on her door.

"This is the last one, sweetheart," Killian tells her after he helps Henry set the box down on the kitchen table.

"Thank you," she smiles, pecking him on the cheek and examining their day's labour.

While the two men had carried furniture after furniture and box after box, insisting they didn't need her help, she'd started unpacking with the help of her mother and her baby brother – who was more of a distraction than anything else – so the new flat was actually looking almost homely now. Henry takes a walk through the apartment once again, inspecting everything, making sure that all his boxes are in the right place. Emma is happy to finally have a room for him where he can stay. She knows he wants to keep his room at Regina's and she is perfectly okay with that but she missed having him with her all the time. New York had been special for them, even more so after they'd once again learnt the truth about Storybrooke and now they could get some of the specialness of living in New York back.

Happy, she wraps her arms around Killian's waist, breathing him in and sighing in contentment and he immediately holds her a little closer, pressing a kiss into her hair.

"Mom?" Henry calls from his room, peeking around the corner.

"Yeah, kid?" she replies.

"I just had a thought…Why don't we get a Christmas tree, like we did last year? The flat's big enough and we will be spending a lot of time here now…"

"You know what, I was actually going to suggest that too. I think Marco has been taking care of the tree farm. Do you wanna go and have a look right now? It's not too late yet."

Henry nods enthusiastically, grabbing his coat and his scarf.

"You coming, too?" Emma asks Killian, who smiles at her. "If you like."

"Of course I would," she affirms, so the two of them grab their own coats and follow Henry out of the apartment. It doesn't matter that some things are still a mess; she feels it's right to get a tree and start making happy memories in this place.

It's only a short drive to the tree farm and thankfully, Marco is still there. The three of them get out of the bug and Emma sees Pinocchio helping his father out as he always does. She still finds it rather strange to see the boy, remembering August more than Pinocchio but she's fond of kid and he and Henry get on really well, too. The two boys immediately run off into the mass of trees, while Hook and Emma exchange a few words with Marco.

Emma can hear the boys laugh in the distance and a thought crosses her mind that makes her almost giddy. It's like a vision of a possible future where this happens every year; Hook by her side, Henry, her brother and possible some of their on kids picking out Christmas trees, enjoying each other's company and laughing together. It's not a thought that she believed she would ever have. It's not a future she has ever imagined for herself until very recently. She always assumed she'd stay without a family because after Neal, trusting someone had been hard and wanting a family with someone when she had none of her own was even harder. But she'd learnt to trust Hook and she'd gained more family than she could ever have imagined and now she feels like maybe this was what her future was going to be like.

While she was daydreaming, Marco has lured Killian into a deep conversation, so she wanders off after her son, checking out the trees at the same time. She can still hear the boys so she follows their voices and soon finds them fighting with sticks and hiding behind trees. She watches them for a little while before Henry notices that she's there but eventually he does and he runs up to her, a little out of breath.

"Have you seen one you like yet?" Emma asks her son and he nods in return.

"I think I have," he replies, motioning her to follow him and she does.

She notices that Henry is contemplating something while they walk through the trees and she nudges him with her elbow.

"What's up kid? I can hear your brain ticking."

He stops and looks at her. "I was just thinking…" he says and it seems like he's not going to continue but eventually he does. "Mom…" he begins, "have you, like, ever thought about what's going to happen with you and Hook?"

A little startled she responds with a question of her own, "Why are you asking?"

Henry shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know. I kinda just assumed that, since you and him are really close now and everything and he still lives at Granny's and we're moving into this big apartment that, you know, he'd just kind of move with us?"

She's even more startled at her son's words because somehow the thought as such has not crossed her mind, at least not consciously. That's when she realises that, in fact, she had just assumed that that would happen anyways. Henry was right, Hook still lived at Granny's and their flat was definitely big enough for three.

"Would you mind if he did?" she inquires.

"I've thought about it. At first I thought I just wanted it to be the two of us again, like in New York. But I think I'm okay with it. He makes you happy, happier than I've seen you with Walsh and you don't seem to have doubts and as long as we still get to play video games and have Netflix evenings, I wouldn't mind."

"Geez, Henry…" Emma contemplates, "When did you become so grown up?"

He shrugs his shoulders dismissively and his simple reply is "I've got you as my mom."

Smiling, she lays her arm around his shoulder, pulling him in for a hug.

"You know, kid, you and I will always have New York and we will always be able to do the stuff we did there, only cooler 'cause I got magic now," she grins and Henry laughs.

"So you should think I should ask him?" she checks again and her son nods.

"I think he's worthy to join our little family."

Emma smiles, remembering her words when she'd asked Henry what he thought of Walsh joining their family. If someone was worthy though, it was Killian and he was already almost part of it anyway.

"Okay," she says, straightening her back, "I'll ask him."

An hour later, the three of them return to the apartment, frozen to the bone and covered in snow, but pleased with themselves and their perfect Christmas tree. She hasn't asked Killian anything yet, wanting to find a moment of privacy with him – something they've already discovered is really rather difficult – but with Henry wanting to help decorate the tree, that moment will have to wait.

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_As always, do you have any thoughts, wishes, proposals, anything?_


	6. Day 6 - Fireplace

_I am so so so tired so you're getting this now so I can go to bed (and I just realised it's half 12 already, dammit). I was very close to making this M-rated but then there were already over 1000 words written so I didn't..._

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**Day 6 - Fireplace**

She wakes up with the sun tickling her bare skin, limbs entangled with Killian's and blankets sprawled around them. She props up on her elbows, trailing her eyes over his body and smiles. After they'd set up the beautiful silver fir in the living room on the creaking floor in front of the brick wall and next to the big window that had convinced her of the place, and after they had tried to find the Christmas decoration in vain, Henry had decided to go back to Regina's since his room was not yet furnished and because he knew his mom needed some time with the pirate. Emma had been glad to get the first evening in the new place on her own with Killian, as much as she loved her son.

When she got back from dropping Henry off at Regina's, Killian had already been waiting with hot cocoa and a cosy fire going in the fireplace (also one of the reasons that sold her the place). It had been a wonderful evening, wrapped up in blankets, on comfortable, fluffy sheepskin and pillows that he'd gotten out of some boxes. Lazy kisses and sweet words had soon turned into passionate lovemaking, both of them craving the other, exploring each other, never getting enough. Her skin still tingles from the kisses he trailed down her back and looking at him now makes her heart race. It is still a feeling she has to get used to. _This is it_. She has proof that it is and she would be lying if she said it didn't scare her. Her instincts still told her to run because she is good at that and she has done that all her life but Storybrooke has changed her; she has learnt to stay, she has learnt to run _towards_ the things she is scared of and this is hardly different but sometimes it still makes her chest constrict and sometimes it makes her heart want to burst.

"I know you're staring," she hears him grumble into a pillow.

"How do you even know I'm awake?" she asks, running her fingers through his tousled hair and massaging his neck.

"Lass, I can hear you thinking from here," he replies, moaning happily at her ministrations, before turning his head around to look at her through sleepy eyes.

"Morning, beautiful," he smiles and she replies with a smile of her own, leans down and kisses his eyebrow. "Morning yourself."

The fire has gone out over night and it's rather cool, even with the rug and the blankets wrapped around them and the sun falling in through the window. The heating is not yet turned on since neither of them had actually planned to stay the night and Killian cuddles into her, seeking out her warmth. She lies down again, turning onto her side so she can watch him, trailing her fingers up and down his back and the arm that is splayed over her waist. _This is it_. The thought crosses her mind once again and she can feel the tightness building in her chest. When Henry told her that he was okay if she asked Hook to move in, she had thought it a great idea and she still did but she also didn't know how to go about this.

"You're still staring and now you're the one staring a whole into me if you don't stop," Killian pulls her out of her thoughts. "What is it, Swan?" he asks gently, playing with a lock of her hair. He senses that she wants to talk about something but knows his Swan well enough to know that she's struggling with words. She's always been better with actions than words, words are his specialty but she has to talk about this at some point so she takes a breath and smiles.

"You always know when something's up, don't you…"

"Told you before, Swan, open book." A smile curls his lips and crinkles his eyes.

She nods, knowing that only he can read her like that.

"How much do you remember?" she asks after a pause. "About…you know…"

"The night you got my heart back?" he helps and she nods again, looking into his clear blue eyes.

"Pain, mostly," he contemplates honestly, "Yours and mine."

"Yes, there was a lot of pain. I thought I was going to lose you the way I lost everyone else, and…"

"…and after I promised you that I was good at surviving."

"I don't blame you for that…" she starts.

"I know. But I do."

"Killian, don't." She hates to see how he belittles himself because she knows how wonderful he is and it wasn't his fault that Gold had taken his heart. It was hers for not noticing it earlier and she says as much but Killian doesn't want to hear any of it.

"Let me…let me try to say this, okay?" she asks and he nods. "Do you remember how I saved you?"

Killian furrows his brows. He does remember some of it, but they have never talked about it. He has always known how he feels about her and since that night when she kicked Gold's ass and saved him from certain death, he knew how she felt about him too but it was unspoken so he shakes his head to give her the freedom to ignore it.

"You almost died. Gold was…he was crushing your heart and you were screaming in agony and my magic was doing nothing to help….I felt so helpless, Killian." There are tears stinging in her eyes at the memory of it and Killian props himself up a bit so he can lean in and place a chaste kiss on her lips and whisper a quiet "I'm okay now," to her.

Composing herself she continues. "I'm not good with words. I was so scared that you were going to die, that I was going to lose you and I realised something and it scared me then and it scares me now."

She knows what she wants to say but the words get stuck in her throat and she drops her gaze.

"Emma," Killian whispers after she's been quiet for a bit, tracing his finger over her cheekbone down to her chin, lifting it so she has to look at him again. "I love you, too," he announces, his blue eyes piercing her green ones and her heart constricts again, her stomach flips and a nervous laugh escapes her lips.

"You do remember," she breathes.

"I cannot recall the details but I do remember your lips touching mine and the pain stopped. I remember you cry out for me. Then there was a different kind of pain in my chest and suddenly everything felt real again. It was as if the colour had returned to my world and the first thing I saw was you."

Emma smiles, a few tears still trailing down her face. "I realised that night that I'm in love with you and I had to try. I had to believe that I could save you with a kiss the way my dad has saved my mom and it worked. What we have, it's real. This is it and you have no idea how terrifying that thought is. I want to wake up next to you every day and I want to hide somewhere where no one can find me. I want to hold you close and I want to run away from you as fast as I can," she confesses.

He's very quick, she has no chance to react when he suddenly turns her on her back and straddles her, leaning on his forearms, caressing her hair with his hand.

"We're real, love and I know you are afraid because you have run away all your life but we are good and we are real."

She places her hands on his shoulders, looking up at him. "You're right," she says because he almost always is. They're good and she has always assumed that they would move forward in their relationship at some point and Henry was right too, the place was big enough.

"Move in with me," she finally suggests. It's not the way she wanted to ask, she wanted to talk to him about it, she wanted to make sure they thought it through but damn it all, she loves him and he loves her and in fairy tale terms he is her true love so what was the point in resisting?

"Move in with me, Killian," she says again and he smirks down at her.

"As you wish," he breathes, closing the distance between them, kissing her fiercely and it knocks the breath out of her.

* * *

_Please do tell me what you think so I can improve in my writing! It would mean a lot!_


	7. Day 7 - Christmas Lights

_I didn't think I'd finish this today...  
__Anyway, thank you so much for all your feedback and OnceSnow I know I've replied to you but again, I will take your criticism on board and try to improve! _

* * *

**Day 7 - Christmas lights**

It took them a couple of days to settle into the apartment and make it look homely but they've managed to get everything done. Henry's room is all fixed up and ready, Killian has moved his few possessions from Granny's to their new place (_their _new place, what the hell, she can still not quite believe it) and she is now watching her boys hang up Christmas lights around one of the beams in the living room.

She fell in love with the place the moment she'd seen it. She'd been rather surprised when she found out it wasn't let because its location by the dock was superb. Yes, it was an old factory building but it was beautifully redone inside, the brick walls from the original building still intact, new and big windows as well as the gorgeous beams added to give it a less industrial feel and no neighbours even though there was another flat like this on top of theirs. She loves the high ceilings and the spacious open-plan kitchen but most of all she loves that it feels so right, that it feels like this place was made just for her. Knowing what kind of town Storybrooke was, she wouldn't even be too surprised if it was.

While Killian and Henry are busy with the lights, she's hanging ornament after ornament onto the silver fir and doesn't notice when Killian slowly comes up behind her. She's humming slightly (not something she usually does) and only realises something's going on when she can't hear Henry and Killian speak anymore. The two of them were bickering about the best way to hang the lights, Henry insisting he knew better due to his broader knowledge of modern technology, Hook insisting he knew better due to his experience with ropes but from the lack of argument, Emma assumes they've managed to settle on something. She turns around just as Hook tries to throw a strand of fairy lights over her head.

"Watch it, pirate!" she yelps, jumping out of the way just in time, slapping him playfully on the shoulder. "Where's Henry?" she asks, looking around when she can't see her son.

"The lad went outside to see where we could hang these up," Killian explains, holding up the lights in his hand before trying once again to wrap her up in them and Emma quickly ducks out of the way. "I told him I'd follow suit," Killian adds, eyebrow raised and head tilted to the side.

"Then you better hurry, he won't wait for long."

He grins, showing off his dimples and his hair falls into his eyes, making him look even more irresistible than usual. "I thought I could use the moment to, you know…" he teases, scratching behind his ear and taking a step closer.

"Why don't you show me," Emma suggest, also stepping closer, forgetting for a moment that he's still holding the Christmas lights in his hook and before she realises, he's thrown them over her and pulls her in. She basically crashes into him, air escaping from her lungs with an "oof" and accidentally stepping on his foot.

"Sorry," she murmurs, while her hands immediately find their way to his waist (the neck unreachable with her arms basically chained to her sides) and she squints up at him.

She can't hide the smile that steals its way onto her face. It's the same as ever, she is completely under his spell, resistance futile when his eyes meet hers, sparkling with the light of a thousand stars and when his lips press against hers, his tongue begging for entrance that she willingly grants. A moan reverberates at the back of her throat and he hums in appreciation.

Only then, she can hear a cough from the doorway and she remembers where they are.

"Audience," she whispers against his lips and she can feel that he's as reluctant as she is to break apart but they do.

Her lips still tingle from the kiss and she looks over to her son, an almost embarrassed look on her face.

"Those lights won't hang themselves," Henry states, a wide grin on his face when he sees how flustered his mother and her boyfriend are.

"Pardon me," the pirate apologises, smiling at Emma and giving her a peck on the forehead before releasing her from her confinement of the Christmas light chain. He takes a theatrical bow and then leaves the living room with Henry to finish the decoration outside while Emma is left to contemplate on whether she preferred to be interrupted by her parents or her son.

* * *

_I wish I had more time to think these chapters through... next one will be better, I promise!_


	8. Day 8 - Ice Skating

_How are you all holding up from last nights episode? I cried... I want to keep all the Frozen characters, dammit... (and by all I mean Ingrid too...)_

_Anyway, it's skating time =) I could go on writing forever but I will keep some stuff for the next few chapters. Also, yay, I've made it to day 8 already, I'm actually a bit proud of myself._

_Also, have I mentioned I love all of you! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing and everything =) _

* * *

**Day 8 – Ice Skating**

After two days of sunshine, the snow starts falling again heavily. It's like the heavens are trying their best to keep the little town isolated from the rest of the world, making sure it's safe. Or maybe it's a warning of a new peril coming. Emma bets on the latter, not trusting the peace that has settled since the Snow Queen's spell was lifted. It's like everyone in town is trying to atone for the things they said and did while under the spell. Regina is doing her best in helping Marian settle into town (not an easy task seeing how Robin chose Regina over his wife but Emma stays way out of that business) and she is also trying to make her behaviour up to Emma. The Dwarfs are hardly seen alone and even Grumpy is trying his best to be more his Dreamy self. Her parents, well, her parents are no different than usual. Emma is always surprised at their amazing talent to keep looking up, keep looking forward. She doesn't know all of what's been said between the two of them but she knows there was plenty but. Still, they seem to be even more in love with each other than usual and if she weren't so in love herself, it would almost be annoying. Also Ruby and Granny are more harmonious than ever and the fairies – freed from their fates in the hat – are an even bigger nuisance than usual. It's not that she minds niceness but sometimes it's simply too much with the good sisters.

There is one thing though, that they have done absolutely right. The small lake in the park has frozen over completely and with a little help of their magic, they have transformed it into an ice rink that doesn't break, that doesn't catch snow and that stays perfectly clear no matter how many people skate on it.

It's actually Hook's suggestion to try it out one evening. He'd seen it on his way to help the Merry Men with something and thought she might enjoy it and she actually got so exited that it didn't take them very long to get to the park. Half of Storybrooke had assembled there to marvel at the place. There were Christmas lights all around on the trees lighting up the icy surface of the lake, Granny had brought out mulled wine stand where people could warm themselves up and the fumes of the hot beverage filled the entire clearing with a sweet cinnamon-y, clove-y, orange-y and Christmas-y smell.

Emma and Hook are both wrapped up in warm coats (she actually had to get one for him because he insisted the cold didn't bother him, his leather jacket was enough), gloves on their hands and her grey beanie over her head, covering her ears. It is very cold and the snow is still falling down in a steady, calming curtain of white, making the lights on the trees sparkle.

"Come on," she urges Killian on towards the surface of the lake from where she spots Belle and Ruby on the ice. She watches them for a little while and is rather impressed by the pirouettes Gold's wife is turning. Belle's laughing and Emma is glad to see that the brunette hasn't lost her optimism after her husband's disappearance and especially after his betrayal.

With a quick wave of her hand, both she and Killian are wearing skates and together they step onto the ice. She's surprised at how graceful he is but then she remembers their dance in the Enchanted Forest and smiles. Of course he knows how to skate and of course he's good at it. He skates ahead a bit and then turns around to wait for her. It only takes her a second to fly into his arms where he kisses her on her freezing nose.

There are more people joining them on the ice, parents with their kids, some of the dwarfs, Aurora and Philip; she even spots her parents at the shore, watching not only their own baby but Aurora's as well.

Emma entwines her fingers with Hook's, smiling up at him and then they start skating circles on the ice, stopping every now and then to exchange a few words with people they know. It's very peaceful and relaxing, with laughter everywhere, the smell of mulled wine and pines and Emma almost wishes it could always be like this.

With a happy smile she turns and starts skating backwards so she faces Hook, trusting him to lead her on the ice so she doesn't bump into anyone.

"This was a really great idea," she points out, her cheeks glowing red from the exercise and the cold.

Killian smiles his special smile, the one that's solely hers and skates a little closer, still making sure that neither of them is going to fall.

"I am full of great ideas," he observes, crow's feet showing in the corners of his eyes.

They slow down, coming to a halt in the middle of the small frozen lake. Killian lets go of Emma's hand, reaching up to cup her cheek. Their eyes meet, green ones losing themselves in blue and blue one's losing themselves in green and they both smile. Slowly – too slow – Killian leans forward and softly presses his lips to hers. She responds immediately, nipping at his lips, holding his face in both her hands and forgetting where they are exactly.

"I'm not surprised Henry is spending more time with me than with you at the minute," a voice rattles them out of their little moment and they both open their eyes, breaking contact, to find Regina skate past them very slowly, an impish grin on her face and Roland in front of her.

"The only one who hasn't interrupted yet is my little brother…" Emma grumbles, placing her hands on his chest.

He chuckles, the sound vibrating through his chest and her fingers. "I am certain he will have his moment too one day."

She sighs but smiles. "Shall we?" she then asks, taking his hand again and they continue skating over the ice in perfect unison.

* * *

_Thoughts? (I need to get back to that fluffyness of chapter 6...I do have some ideas for later this week but I have a phonetics exam coming up that I will totally fail anyway but it's also keeping me a bit from writing good stuff...)_


	9. Day 9 - (Merry) Snowmen

_Wish me luck for my exam tomorrow. Not that I'm going to pass but with a little luck I might be better off ;)_

* * *

**Day 9 - (Merry) Snowmen**

Every day at lunchtime, Killian drops in at the station either with a sandwich for her or with the intention to have lunch at Granny's and there is no exception to this rule until now.

It's almost one and he still hasn't shown up when normally he's overly punctual, walking through the door at exactly quarter past 12 and Emma is slowly getting hungry and grumpy.

Finally, at 1.15pm, she gives up. There's no way she can concentrate when her idiot of a boyfriend is missing (and yes, she's totally aware of the fact that she's overreacting but she nearly lost him twice, she really doesn't want to go through that again. Ever.) and her stomach is grumbling too because she really was hungry.

She gets up from her desk, grabbing her coat and then walks the short distance to Granny's, hoping to find Hook somewhere on the way. Instead, she bumps into the person who has spent more nights in one of her cells than Grumpy.

"Bloody 'ell," Will Scarlet swears when she nearly runs him over at the corner of a shop. "Are you trying to hit me every time we meet?!" he asks in is broad midland accent, making her smirk a little. Yes, she's hit him once or twice, maybe a bit more but he always resisted when she cuffed him so it was his own damn fault that she had to tackle him.

"Actually, I was on my way to Granny's, looking for Hook."

Will grumbles. "You might want to check out the forest then," he suggests.

The thief is still not on the best of terms with the pirate, they tolerate each other but Will loves to poke Killian with a metaphorical stick to try and elicit a reaction. He never gets more than a sassy comment though, which enrages the thief even more. Right now, Emma assumes, Will is annoyed by Killian's presence in the woods. That is his territory and Emma can sympathise with him.

She knows how hard it is for Will to settle in in Storybrooke. He has managed for the most part but she can feel that there is still something holding him back. Emma likes him well enough (when she isn't chasing him down the road) but the fact that he's holding back actually makes her a little bit weary of him. She can feel that there is something he isn't telling the rest of them, something he is either not ready to tell or unwilling to tell and Emma doesn't quite know what to make of that.

"What the hell is he doing in the forest?" she asks Will now.

"Why don't you go find out yourself?"

She raises an eyebrow at him, tilting her head to the side.

"I'm sorry, Sheriff, but I promised not to tell."

"And you always keep your promises..."

"Actually, I do, thank you very much."

Emma sighs resigned. "Fine, I will find out myself. Or are you going to stop me from going there?"

Will chuckles. "I believe I know you well enough by now, Miss Swan, to know that you'd arrest me if I did."

With that, and a final comical curtsy – something he's started to do ever since he found out she is the daughter of Snow White and _Prince_ Charming – he takes his leave, leaving Emma to go to the woods.

It doesn't take her too long after she's walked back to the station to get her car and when she arrives at the edge of the woods, she can hear a lot of voices at work but what work it is is still obstructed from her view. She knows that the Merry Men have taken up residence in Granny's rooms since the woods are too cold now but apparently they still like to spend their days here so she stomps through the snow to find out just what they are up to. When the trees finally make way for her to see the old camp, it takes her breath away. Instead of green tents they have started to build igloos and snowmen and every possible and impossible snowfigure and Killian is in the midst of it all, helping out while little Roland almost clings to his leg. It is a sight for sore eyes and Emma leans against the trunk of a tree to simply watch the men at work. Little John seems to be the one who listened most to Kristoff's tales of ice and snow, as he appears to be responsible for the cubes while Robin coordinates the rest.

Emma counts three finished igloos of medium seize, one small work in progress and two big ones that look like they are going to be connected to each other.

Whatever was happening, she enjoys the festive feelings she gets from watching them.

"Mom!" she hears a voice from somewhere and looks around to find Henry peeking out of one of the igloos. Having been spotted now, she steps back from the tree and walks up to Robin, smiling. "I like what you've done with the place," she marvels and Robin nods his head.

"Thank you. It was actually your son's idea," he explains just as Henry comes up behind him.

"I was playing with Roland and thought a little playground in the woods would be fun," her son shrugs.

"It certainly looks like fun," Emma agrees. She can hear Killian's footsteps behind her and waits for him to link their hands, something they have stared to do whenever they're out and about. His hand fits hers perfectly and she leans against him slightly.

"You didn't come for lunch," she complains jokingly.

"I do apologise, lass," Killian answers regretfully. Henry interrupts him, explaining that it was his fault for dragging the captain along and Emma smiles at her son. She is quite glad the two of them are spending time together outside of the apartment; it makes things easier somehow.

Meanwhile, Robin has turned back to the igloo building and Henry soon sprints off to crawl into one of them again with a grin towards his mother, and Emma is left with Hook so she turns around to face him.

"So, about that lunch," she starts, blinking up at him. She doesn't get much further due to a snowball flying towards them, just about missing the pirates head. Killian is extremely fast in turning around, which is a mistake. The next snowball hits him square on the chest and he grunts. No one knows where the snowball came from, but it doesn't take long before the igloos are used as shields from the hail of more snowballs that they start to throw at each other, resulting in one big snowball fight.

_What a bunch of kids_, Emma thinks before throwing her third snowball in the direction of one of the Merry Men, ducking from one of her son's snowball at the same time.

* * *

_ I forgot to say a couple of things the last time. First off, I'm glad I can be an unofficial Secret Santa for some. I am an official one on Tumblr and it's so much fun so hearing this makes me happy.  
Thank you all for reviewing, following, reading. I appreciate it so much, you're all little cute fluffballs =) Keep'm coming._


	10. Day 10 - Chestnuts

_You're getting this earlier than usual because I'm not feeling well... lack of sleep is taking its toll...(It's scheduled on Tumblr, it'll be online there in an hour)_

_The chapters are getting cheesier and cheesier, I think I'll need a change pretty soon. Also, i will get back to just CS stuff but I actually really enjoy writing stupid everyday things they do not just the two of them. _

* * *

**Chapter 10 – Chestnuts**

When Emma lived in the orphanage, there was one thing she always enjoyed doing and that was crafts. It wasn't something she did much of as she got older but as a child, she loved it. Working with her hands, building something that was hers, it had always fascinated and pleased her and when autumn came, the kids at the orphanage had always gone out to collect baskets full of chestnuts and buckeyes. Emma never tired of roasted chestnuts with whipped cream and building little figures out of buckeyes could keep her entertained for hours.

She hadn't thought about those things in a very long time though. It was only after she'd gotten her memories back from Ingrid that she was reminded of that.

During a quiet moment with Hook one day she'd told him of that memory and while she's now sitting at her parent's kitchen table, watching her baby brother playing with one of the many, many toys, making happy sounds as far as tiny babies went, there's a knock on the door.

She looks up, knowing exactly who it is (he has a very particular knock that she recognises immediately) and watches Snow open the door for him. He's looking cosy in his thick black coat, snow melting in his hair, cheeks flushed and eyes bright as ever. She really should be used to it by now, especially since they were living together but her stomach still makes a little summersault whenever she sees him, it's ridiculous and unnecessary and she wouldn't have it any other way.

He's carrying two brown paper bags in his arms and she instantly recognises the smell wafting from them, her eyes lighting up.

"Is that what I think it is?" she asks excitedly and Killian nods, smiling at Mary Margaret as a form of greeting and then walking straight to the kitchen table. He places the bags on the table and Emma peeks into them, breathing in the smell of roasted chestnuts.

Mary Margaret comes up behind her, looking over her shoulder.

"Oh, chestnuts!" she exclaims, grabbing one out of the bag. "I used to live on chestnuts when I was hiding from the Evil Queen," she says, peeling off the shell.

"Like mother, like daughter," laughs Killian, and elaborates when he gets a confused look from Snow. "Your daughter loves chestnuts."

"You do?" Snow's voice is a mixture between surprise, excitement and joy at discovering the similarity and Emma nods, taking one for herself.

The second bag, she finds out, is filled with buckeyes and a little box filled with toothpicks and needles. She grins at Hook – who has shed his coat in the meantime – grabs his arm and pulls him down to her, kissing him on the lips. Snow coughs at that but she's smiling when Emma breaks the kiss and looks at her.

"Do we have some whipped cream?" Emma inquires and Mary Margaret nods, walking to the fridge to give the two some privacy.

When she turns around again, plates, cutlery and whipped cream in her hands, Killian sits across the table and he and Emma are both heavily concentrated on poking holes into the buckeyes, shortening the toothpicks and making little buckeye men out of them and she has to smile. It's a pleasure to watch them quietly at work. She joins them at the table, picking up some buckeyes and toothpicks herself.

The three of them eat their roasted chestnuts with cream and create figures out of buckeyes for the rest of the afternoon, laughing and talking together like the family Snow (and Emma) have always wanted to have. Little Neal falls asleep at some point with a new mobile (made out of buckeyes) hanging above his crib and Emma realises that she's never felt as content before. She's surrounded by loved ones doing something she hasn't done in a long time but that has always brought her joy and she couldn't wish for more.

Later that night, when she and Killian have gone home (with a bag of buckeye figure decorations) and she's cuddled up beside him his arm around her, Henry splayed out on the second sofa and Netflix on the TV, she says a silent thank you to fate that has brought her to this place because she will forever be grateful for everything she has.

* * *

_(Are buckeyes really called that? I had to look it up...also...the thing you hang up above a crib, Emma's was the unicorn one, are they really called mobile? I'm so tired, my English is suffering...)_

_On a different note, 10 chapters, a little over 10'000 words, yay me x'D_


	11. Day 11 - Eggnog

_You guys are the sweetest. Thank you so much for all the support I'm getting from you, it's really lovely. I'm glad I can brighten up your days to Christmas, you do the same for me! _

_This is a bit...random... but yeah, enjoy. Prepare for the next one though, there's an abundance of fluff coming!_

* * *

**Chapter 11 – Eggnog**

He's lived in Storybrooke for a while now. He's learnt new customs, he's adapted, changed and yet there are still some things that he just doesn't understand that come with everything modern. TV he gets, he can see the entertainment of that but the first time he was confronted with it, he was quite shocked, if not even frightened (not that he'd ever admit that). Cars he quite likes and he would actually love to be able to drive one. Phones are perfect for being able to contact Emma whenever he wants but not so great if her father keeps calling him. Basically, he isn't averse to modern technology, it isn't that hard to grasp, it's useful and quite fascinating but most of the time only in connection with Emma or himself and not with any of her family.

He grew up in old England, he is very well aware of the way things worked back then and he's lived in the Enchanted Forest and is very well aware that things there were similar to what they had been in his old home country. What he and Emma did, being together and living together just as a couple, that was unconventional but this was the 21st century and he assumed people would adapt. In fact, he knows they had. However, David Nolan was a man of old-fashioned standards. Killian should have known the moment David had asked him about his intentions for Emma but in the hubbub of the Snow Queens plans, he had kind of forgotten about it and apparently so had David.

Thus, it is a bit of a surprise when one late afternoon in December, when the sky is darkening already and the streets lamp are turned on and Emma is still at work, Prince Charming knocks on the door to the apartment. He has seemingly recovered his memory and wants to have a proper chat with his daughter's boyfriend about who knows what.

Killian, who only just got back home himself, opens the door, greeting the prince with a simple "Emma isn't here yet, mate."

David only nods and then explains, "I know, I left her at the station. I actually came to talk to you," holding out a bottle of some kind of beverage Hook doesn't recognise.

"Come in," the pirate invites the other man, his hand making a welcoming gesture towards the living room. "I was just about to light a fire."

David nods again and walks in, placing the bottle on top of the kitchen counter.

"Are you in need of assistance?" Killian asks, slightly worried that something has happened but then David would not show up with a drink.

"Just grab two glasses and I'll pour and then we can talk," the prince replies and Killian, after hesitating and shifting on his feet for half a second, walks over to get a couple of glasses, then opens the bottle and pours in whatever liquid David has brought. The smell wafting from it and the colour it has makes him realise that it is eggnog though. He hasn't had any in a few decades, having changed to rum a long time ago because it was much easier to come by when you were a pirate.

He hands one glass to David, holding his own up to cheer him. "You didn't just come here for a drink, did you mate?" Killian pushes, leaning on the counter. David shakes his head, then looks around the apartment, taking everything in. He's seen it before of course but that was before Emma and Killian had finally moved in. He liked the pirate. He had learnt to respect and accept him and he knew his intentions were good, but Emma was his daughter and he had not been able to take care of her when she was little so now he wanted to make up for that and part of it was to talk to her boyfriend.

His eyes are fixated on the white linen curtains by the big window that looked out to the see when speaks. "Actually, I did come here to drink," he diverts.

Killian laughs, knowing full well that that is not quite the truth but he just drowns the eggnog (pulling a face, he doesn't like eggnog much). David is very quick in filling the glasses up again after drinking his own and so the two men start a conversation less delicate than the one about Emma.

About two hours, an empty bottle on the table and a few more or less delicate question later, Killian hears the keys turn in the lock of the front door when Emmas returns hom. She finds her father and Killian on the kitchen table, David leaning half drunk over it (or rather very drunk as he seems to be about to pass out) and Hook sitting across him with that sideway grin on his face.

"What on earth have you done to my dad?" she asks upon walking in, keys still in her right hand and hair falling in her face.

"Your father wanted to talk to me about my intentions concerning you again," he explains, grinning widely.

He can see Emma visibly cringe but he simply laughs. "Don't worry, love, I told him I'd do everything the old fashioned way for his sake."

This comment makes Emma laugh. "I think it's already a bit too late for that," she says, a telling and mischievous grin on her face.

She places the keys on the table and kneels down before her father.

"Dad?" she shakes him gently and he opens an eye.

"Don't ever try to outdrink a pirate," her father slurs and Emma looks at Killian reproachfully. The accused pirate just shrugs his shoulders and says, "Love, he brought the eggnog and thought if I were less sober I might give him a different answer."

Emma sighs. "Dad?" she says again. "I appreciate the effort but we've talked about this before. I'm perfectly well capable of taking care of myself."

David nods as best as he can, head resting on his elbow on the table. "Just wanted to make sure again. You can keep him…"

Emma lets out a laugh that rings through the apartment. "Thanks, dad," she says. "I'll call Mary Margaret so she can pick you up."

They only have to wait for a few minutes before her mother shows up and Killian helps her drag David to the car and when both Emma and Killian are back in the apartment, she starts apologising for her father's behaviour.

"Nothing to worry about, lass. He is your father. I'm almost certain my brother would've done the same to you too."

"One day you'll have to tell me everything about him," she replies and then moves on to give him a kiss.

* * *

_As a little sneak, day 12 will be "Antlers". So much fun!_


	12. Day 12 - Antlers

_OMG I AM SO SORRY I HADN'T REALISED THAT IT DIDN'T GET POSTED. I swear I uploaded it last night...but you'll get two today instead._

_Maybe it's not as fluffy as I promised but I feel like it's very fluffy and as always, I appreciate feedback! _

* * *

**Chapter 12 – Antlers**

Some nights both Sheriffs get some time off and when that happens, Emma is more then happy to look after her little brother while David gets to have a night off with his wife. Sometimes she watches the little guy at her parent's house, sometimes they bring him over and today she has him at her place. She never considered herself to be a baby person, especially after she had Henry and had given him up but ever since her parents had trusted her to look after her little brother (for some reason she couldn't bring herself to call him Neal…) she feels that maybe she is a baby person after all. Then again, the little guy is hardly much work. She doesn't have much experience with babies at all but she has never seen a baby this quiet.

He's in his stroller, the buckeye mobile still hanging above him and he gurgles happily, making grabby hands at the toy, while Emma prepares his bottle for him. It doesn't take to long and after checking the temperature, she goes over, lifts him up and after making herself comfortable on the couch, she feeds him.

That's how Hook finds her a little later when he gets home; the empty baby bottle on the coffee table and Neal cradled in the nook of her arm, and a soft tune on her lips.

"Hello love," he croons, leaning over the headrest to place a kiss on the top of her head. Her eyes close for a second when his lips touch her hair and a smile tugs at her lips. "Hi," she hums in tune with the song she's humming and tries to sit up very carefully so not to disturb the little one. The prince just makes little gurgling sounds and smiles a toothless smile at Killian. He loves the pirate and, even though he wouldn't quite admit it, Killian has taken quite a shine towards the boy as well, so he holds out a finger that Neal grabs immediately and Emma watches as Killian's smile softens, his crowfeet showing as well and she hides a grin. Her boyfriend is a big softie and she loves him all the more for it.

"Here, hold him for a second, will you," she says, getting up in an awkward angle and then placing Neal carefully into Killian's reluctant arms. He knows that Emma sees his affection for the boy but he also does still have a little bit of his pirate reputation to hold up. Or maybe he just won't bother it anymore.

Emma shuffles off to their room, pulling out some boxes from under the bed and returns with an item in her hand, hidden behind her back.

"What are you trying to do, Swan?" Killian asks. He can read her like a book, he knows she's up to something but Emma simply grins. She walks up to him, places a kiss first on Neal's head, then tiptoes slightly and kisses Killian, wrapping her arms around his neck as well as possible with him holding a very precious human being in his arms. He returns the kiss with a hum at the back of his throat and only realises that Emma is doing something, when he feels something sticking to his head right behind his ears.

Emma stands back to watch her masterpiece; Killian Jones with a pair of red antlers on his head, fastened to a green hairband and she grins a broad grin.

Killian tilts his head to the side, challenging her with a single look to dare and laugh but the way the antlers move on his head only make the appearance worse and she starts giggling, making Neal do a little turn of his head. The baby then gazes back up at Killian and sees the antlers on his head and it makes him start to gurgle and sputter and giggle, making Killian feel slightly better because who could resist that sound.

"See, my little brother likes you even better this way," Emma grins before Killian hands her Neal back, leaving the antlers on however. She sits down again and the three of them start a little game of _who-spots-the-antlers_.

Neal, not old enough to really communicate yet, is very good at the game, giggling whenever a pair of antlers shows up from behind the other sofa or from behind the TV or even the front door and points at the places and they continue the game for the rest of the evening, taking turns with the antlers, Henry joining them when he returns from Regina's.

When Mary Margaret and David show up later that night to Henry opening the door for them, they find Hook sleeping on the sofa with Neal on his chest and Emma with his other arm around her and her head on his shoulder.

"Seems you had fun," David grumbles at Henry. He still hasn't quite forgiven Hook for out drinking him and not agreeing to be very old fashioned with Emma. The sound of her fathers voice wakes her from her light sleep and laughs when she realises what he'd said.

"We did indeed. You should ask Killian to do it more often, he is rather a natural, especially with these antlers on his head," she suggests, her voice sleepy, as she points at the red antlers that are still very much on Killian's head because Neal smiled at the pirate with antlers more than at the prospect of going back in his stroller.

* * *

_Do tell me what you thought =) _

_Also, this is basically the start of the official 12 Days of Christmas so yay to that (especially with JK posting new stuff in the next few days omg)_


	13. Day 13 - Stars

_I have made it further than the last time I did the 25 days challenge. Yay me. _

_Also, man, I really cannot say often enough how much I appreciate your reviews even if it's just a tiny one. It makes my day reading them!_

_Anyway, _stars _isn't actually a word in the prompts list but I feel like stars are christmas-y too and I liked the idea of this. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 13 – Stars**

He wakes up around 2 am, his arm around Emma as she silently snores ("I do not snore, Killian."), her chest lifting and sinking with each breath. He watches her figure in the dark for a little while until his eyes get used to the darkness and then he gets up gently in order not to wake her and goes to sit down in front of the big window in the living room, his telescope in his hand, pointed towards the stars. There is no denying that he misses the open sea as his home with the sky as his roof every now and again. His love for Emma is endless and will last forever, but he is also a man of the sea, a pirate and he knows he will always be one so sometimes the yearning for the things he's given up overwhelms him and he has to find a way to calm his soul and find peace again. Watching the stars travel the firmament has always soothed him in ways hardly anything else can.

She wakes up a little later, shivering and she immediately searches for Killian in the dark, finding the space next to her cold and empty.

Emma is not usually one for waking up, however, the first time they'd spent the night with each other back in his room at Granny's she didn't sleep too well because she wasn't used to sharing a bed. She woke up a couple of times, not just that first night, but Killian was always there to lull her back into sleep (or do other wicked things to her that exhausted her so much she'd fall back asleep in an instant). When he fist moved in, it had also taken some getting used to, having a constant presence in her bed, _their _bed, every night with no exception. Now though, after two weeks of living with Killian she is so used to his weight on the other side that the bed feels big and empty without him.

It is freezing in the room and even though she usually likes it this way, there's only so much she can take. The days are getting colder and without his body heat to warm her, the cold assaults her even with blankets around her and warm PJs.

Almost blind, she searches for the bedside lamp with her hands and gets temporarily blinded by the light once she finds the on-switch. Squinting and groaning, she sits up and wraps a blanket around her shoulder, bare feet on the cold hardwood floor, and listens.

There is absolutely no sound to be heard. She checks the alarm clock on her nightstand and frowns at the time. It's 3 am and she wonders what Killian could be doing at this time of night so she gets up and walks through the apartment, looking for signs of him.

He can hear her footsteps, the tap-tap of bare feet sticking to the wood, but he doesn't make a move or a sound, he knows she'll find him anyway; he's not hiding after all.

He's only a shadow in the dark when she spots him sitting in the living room, knees up to his chin, staring out the window, his back lean and tense. She follows his gaze outside and sees the clear night sky with millions of stars glimmering and shining and without making too much sound, she approaches him, settling on his right before nudging him slightly. There's only so much she can see in the starlight and she feels more than sees how he relaxes at her touch.

"What are you doing up?" she whispers into the quietness.

His head turns slightly towards her and Emma thinks there's a faint smile on his lips.

"Stargazing," he explains just as quietly, handing her the telescope.

She takes it from him, putting it to her eye and looking up at the stars through the window. His hand comes up to meet hers where she's holding the instrument and he tries to help her point it at a specific star.

"What is it?" she asks when she finds it.

She can feel him nod his head. "That is Algol in the constellation of Perseus," he tells her. "In his time, Perseus saved the princess Andromeda from the fate of being eaten by Cetus. He used Medusa's head and Algol supposedly represents the monsters eye as it 'winks' every third day."

Killian moves the telescope a little bit. "Can you see an M or a W form in the sky?" he asks and Emma bobs her head, acknowledging that she has found it.

"That's Cassiopeia, Andromeda's mother. It is said that she hangs upside down from time to time to remind everyone not to boast. Cassiopeia and the king sacrificed their daughter to save the kingdom from Poseidon."

Emma takes down the telescope and turns her head towards Killian. "You know your Greek history," she murmurs.

Killian chuckles. "No love, I simply know the stars like the back of my hand. Did you know there is a constellation called Cygnus? It means _swan_ in Latin. It has helped me find my way home many a time…"

His last words are nothing more than a faint whisper and Emma isn't sure she heard everything.

"Are they the same everywhere?" Her question rattles him out of his thoughts and he looks her in the eyes, seeing them almost as clearly as by day with his eyes adjusted to the dark.

"Not quite. Some are different, some stay the same."

"What about the swan?" she inquires.

"I've seen Cygnus in every realm I have ever visited," he confesses and Emma smiles, entwining her fingers with his, leaning into him.

"Maybe it was a sign…" It is barely audible but Killian nods, leaning in to kiss her.

He loses himself in the gentle kiss, realising that with her by his side, yearning for the sea and the stars evaporates. She has become his sea and his star and it is so much better than he could ever have envisioned and she is all that he needs. He deepens the kiss and marvels at the taste of her lips.

"Bedroom, now," she pleads against his lips and he is more than happy to oblige.

* * *

_Please, let me know what you think? Or let me know if you have a wish or something? Maybe I can incorporate something ;)_


	14. Day 14 - Cookies

_I don't even know what I'm doing anymore... I do know that I'm going to sleep now though. _ _**Happy OUAT day**__, fellow Oncers, I will suffer with you tomorrow after I had some sleep and when I'm halfway awake!_

* * *

**Chapter 14 – Cookies**

"Killian, are you sure you got everything?" she asks, an eyebrow raised as she inspects the shopping bag he's brought back.

"Of course I am sure," he replies, "don't you trust me?"

She looks at him, her head tilted to the side. "I'm almost certain you forgot something," she says sceptically. He's reliable in almost every aspect of life but when it comes to shopping she has had to learn that he tends to forget things because he doesn't check the list. Why she sent him to do the shopping in the first place is a mystery she cannot solve.

Killian tilts his head a little, taking a step towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist when she turns around to unpack the bag. He buries his face in the crook of her neck and brushes his lips over her soft skin, making her giggle.

"These Christmas cookies won't back themselves," she complains, wriggling out of his embrace, a big smile plastered on her face and he grins. "You just said I probably forgot something anyway, so where's the point?"

"I promised Henry cookies and he'll get them, so stop distracting me and help me instead," she commands half-heartedly; there are other things she'd rather be doing.

Killian chuckles, then walks around the counter to grab the kitchen scale and a bowl big enough for Emma to use for the cookie dough, while Emma arranges the ingredients on the counter.

"No scale, just the cups," she tells him.

"How the bloody hell do you measure in cups?" he inquires, putting the scale back nonetheless.

"Don't worry, pirate, I'll do the measuring, you just help me mix everything together," Emma grins and starts measuring the flower, sugar and butter. She throws the butter into the bowl first and makes Killian mix it until it's soft before she adds the sugar and the eggs.

That's when she notices the first thing missing. There isn't enough sugar for all the cookies she wants to bake and she scolds Killian for not bringing the right amount.

"You wrote down sugar, I brought you sugar," he apologises, smirking a little because she's cute when she's irritated.

"Did you read the amount of sugar I need?" she grumbles and he shakes his head slightly, lowering his gaze. He had been too distracted. She'd sent him off with a shopping list after work. She'd wanted to go herself but he'd shown up early to pick her up, only, the way his cheeks were flushed from the cold, making his scar stand out even more, the way his hair had glistened from melting snowflakes and the way he looked at her had only led to one thing; them entangled, kissing each other senseless in the back room of the sheriff's station like hormonal teenagers where no one could see them and his mind was still with her when he got to the shops. So no, he hadn't checked the list properly.

Emma groans, exasperatedly throwing her arms into the air. "Only one sort of Christmas cookies then," she sighs and starts mixing the sugar and the eggs into the butter.

Meanwhile, Killian paces around the counter, checking the recipe, inspecting the cookie cutters, looking over her shoulder and it almost drives her crazy (he's just too close, always too close and she needs to finish what they started at the station…)

She huffs, placing the mixer into his hands again so he's busy but his arm is very distracting. She tells him to stop mixing so she can sieve the flower and lemon zest into the mixture but he doesn't stop long enough and the flower puffs up in a cloud, slowly covering the entire counter. She had no idea how exhausting baking could be with a pirate who had never done it before.

"Okay," she groans, "you just stand there and watch. Don't move."

She takes the mixer from him again, mixing the dough together and manages to actually get dough everywhere just like he did with the flower and he starts laughing at her. In a moment of madness, she dips two fingers into the dough, steps towards him and smears it across his left cheek. His laughter dies but a smirk stays on his handsome face and she's too slow to realise what he's doing when he retaliates with a handful of flower that he sprinkles over her. She manages to close her eyes just in time and before she knows what's happening, they are in a food fight around the kitchen counter, acting like 12 year olds, laughing at and with each other.

When Henry comes home two hours later, he finds Emma and Killian in the kitchen, both of them a mess; Killian's hair is almost white from the flower, Emma's cheeks are flushed but also covered in flower as is her apron and Killian's leather jacket and there is dough almost everywhere. Henry just stares at his mother and her boyfriend, shaking his head. He thought he was the teenager but it looked like they were.

"The cookie are almost done," Emma declares when she sees him and looks down at herself and Killian. Yeah, baking was definitely out of the question for them, it didn't end well.

* * *

_I'm not even joking, I really don't know what I'm doing anymore. I do appreciate all your support thought, that much I know! Also, I'm still having fun writing these even though I don't know what half of them even are and I'm glad you are enjoying them, too =) _

_(btw, I've never declared this anywhere but I do apologise for any grammatical mistakes. I wish I was a native speaker but alas, I am not and I'm aware that there are probably some colocations I get wrong amongst other things)_


	15. Day 15 - Angels, Elves and Fairies

_I have no idea what this is... I could be happier but heyho. Sleep is calling._

* * *

**Chapter 15 – Angel, Elves and Fairies**

It's stupid. Utterly ridiculous and stupid and she has no idea why she agreed to this but her mother was so persuasive and Henry thought it would be fun and it's just… awful.

She feels like an idiot. She knows it's for a good cause (she's sure Mary Margaret chose the charity on purpose, so she would agree to help) but still.

The fabric falls soft around her body right down to the floor, clinging to her skin, without it being uncomfortable. It's a beautiful pearl colour, made of silk and she feels very self-conscious in it but she's agreed to it and there is no backing out.

"Are you ready?" she hears her mother ask from the other side of the door and Emma groans.

Mary Margaret takes it as a yes and sticks her head through and when she sees Emma, her face lights up the same way it did when she had seen her in her date dress so many weeks ago.

"You look beautiful," her mother smiles.

"I look ridiculous…" Emma protests, checking herself in the mirror again.

The dress is fine, beautiful even, what throws her off are the huge feathery wings stuck to her back and the ridiculous halo tucked above her very curly hair.

Snow shakes her head in disagreement. Sometimes she still can't believe that this beautiful young woman is her daughter. "Just wait until you see Hook and David," Mary Margaret encourages her with a chuckle and Emma pulls a face.

With one last look into the mirror, she carefully turns around in order not to break the wings (they're surprisingly light) and she and Mary Margaret walk to the living room, waiting to join the men.

They find all three of them sitting on the couch, silly tip hats on their heads. The two women walk around to inspect the costumes, realising that both David and Hook are in a sulking mood and Emma realises fairly quickly why. Her wings are huge and ridiculous, but that is nothing compared to the two-coloured leggings they are wearing. David has experience with leggings and Emma thought so did Killian but he looks so much like a miserable puppy that she has to try and hide the wide grin that threatens to steal itself onto her face.

He looks up then and as soon as his eyes find her, she can see the words get stuck in his throat.

"I told you it'd be fun!" Henry cheerfully chimes from Killian's left, grinning at his mother who feels a flush creeping up her cheeks because Killian is still staring.

Her father isn't much better, unable to process that this is his daughter. He stops sulking and exchanges a proud look with his wife. Then he turns around to face Killian and Henry.

"Shall we?" he inquires and Henry is up in a heartbeat, the bell at the end of his hat chiming.

They all nod then, Henry running first, followed by Emma's parents and then her. Hook holds her back for a second, his blue eyes locked to hers. "You look ravishing," he insists with a raspy voice.

"So do you," she grins back mockingly and he rolls his eyes.

"The things I do for you," he grumbles, leading her outside of the apartment.

* * *

They meet the kids and the fairies at the school. The kids are all dressed as elves, some few as angels just like Emma and together they make their way through the still snowy town of Storybrooke, halting every now and then so the kids can sell cookies or cards, recite a poem or sing a song for the residents in order raise money for an orphanage. Mary Margaret decided that every child deserved a good Christmas and had organised a fundraising to accomplish just that. Emma was more than happy to help with it, knowing fully well what it is like to have no one on Christmas and seeing the support for the cause makes her heart warm.

* * *

Later, when they're cuddled up under blankets, hot cocoa warming their frozen fingers, Emma tells Killian about one of the nicer Christmas days she'd experienced as a child; One where they had also gotten good funding, enough for nice presents, a nice Christmas dinner and even a trip to the ice rink. He listens intently, just like he always does and Emma sighs in contentment, marvelling once again at the fact that she has found a home with him.

* * *

_It really is a bit ridiculous, isn't it... oh well... Thoughts?_


	16. Day 16 - Comet, Cupid, Donner & Blitzen

_Whatever I'm writing, it's getting more and more ridiculous. I guess it's the fact that ideas like this come to me in the middle of the night when I've had like 3-4h of sleep per night for the past 2-3 weeks. Tomorrow will see a change though! Quite a big one actually, might have to make tomorrows chapter into a two-parter..._

* * *

**Chapter 16 – Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen**

"Mom, mom!" Henry yells excitedly, running through the door at the station, making Emma almost jump up from her seat at her desk.

"Geez, kid," she exclaims, "First tell me what's going on before you give me a heart attack."

She can see that he's unharmed and the wide grin that appears on her son's face is indication enough to make her realise that nothing is wrong.

"You have to come and see what I found!" Henry urges her, taking her hand immediately, pulling, but Emma resists.

"Hang on a second. What's this about?" she asks.

"I can't tell you, you have to see it for yourself."

Somewhat reluctantly, Emma gets up and lets herself be dragged out by Henry.

Her son walks a few steps ahead of her in his excitement for whatever he wants to show her. He's steering towards the docks and Emma remembers that Henry had been out with Killian today. As expected, her pirate waits for them at the docks, casually leaning against the side of the building, hooked arm tucked below the other and fiddling with his fingers. He looks way too handsome and Emma realises that she still makes doe-eyes at him. She rolls her eyes in response to her own reaction upon seeing him.

As soon as she and Henry arrive, he pushes off the side of the building, smiling at her.

"Come on!" Henry urges impatiently.

"What on earth did you find?" Emma inquires but Hook just smiles mysteriously.

"I promised the lad not to tell."

Before Henry can shout at them again, they follow him to the side door of the building. He opens the door and motions to Emma to be quiet. She still doesn't understand but as soon as she enters the building, she can hear faint whimper in the relatively dark room.

"Please tell me you didn't drag me down here with such urgency because you found puppies…" she begs, looking at both Henry and Killian.

Killian nonchalantly shrugs his shoulder, head tilted to the side and scratching his ear, is tell whenever he wants something or has done something. Henry just beams at her, beckoning to move forward.

They round a corner, revealing a cardboard box standing on the floor with 4 puppies trying to shift inside. Emma recognises them as Dalmatians, their spots showing that they're already about a month old.

Henry is already kneeling beside the box, petting the most eager puppy, lifting it up to inspect it and showing it to Emma. She can't refuse to pet the little thing and the dog lets out a sweet little bark when her hand touches its head.

"It likes you," Henry grins, making Emma roll her eyes at him and shake her head but she does kneel down to have a look at the other three.

"This one has heart shaped spot, look," her son points out. "He's Cupid."

He joins her by the side of the box, letting the newly named Cupid run free and the little dog immediately starts pouncing Killian who is rather adamant, not even trying to show affection for the animal.

"What, you don't like dogs?" Emma smirks at him, lifting a second puppy out of the box while he wrinkles her nose at her. It's not that he's averse to dogs, he just doesn't really see the point in getting all cute and cuddly as soon as an animal is around.

"Now, if that's Cupid," Emma says, pointing towards the puppy by Hook's feet, "then this is Comet. He has tails on some of his spots." She looks at Killian who stares at her incredulously.

"You want to name foundling dogs after reindeers?"

"Why not," she shrugs, "It's Christmas after all."

"I love it," Henry declares, naming the other two Donner and Blitzen.

"What are we going to do with them?" he asks his mother as the puppies run around them, playing with each other, playing with everyone's feet but most of all, trying to jump up Killian's legs.

"We'll get them to the animal shelter," Emma reckons, picking up Comet and putting him back in the box, doing the same with the other three. They all stare up at her with big round beady eyes and Emma starts laughing.

"I know that look, I know someone who has that look down to a t," she laughs, turning around to Killian, whose expression is a mixture of amusement and annoyance but when he meets her eyes, he grins, raising his eyebrow. He knows she meant him with her comment and she is probably right, he does know how to apply that look and it almost always works.

Together, Killian and Emma lift the box with the puppies and they make their way outside to get back to the station and then drive the puppies to the animal shelter. They soon realise it's much easier to each carry a puppy in their arms, with Killian ending up with two, mumbling under his breath about silly puppies and wanting to get to the shelter as quick as possible. It's endearing really, but the sight of Killian with puppies in his arms is something Emma never knew she wanted to see. Him sulking actually made the sight even better.

"Mom…?" Henry sets to ask, waiting for her to turn her head towards him.

"Hm?" she asks back and Henry shuffles a little on his feet.

"Can't we keep them?" he manages to suggest but Emma shakes her head vehemently.

"Don't even think about it, kid. I am not going to take in four puppies that I have to take care of when there's already two living with me."

"I agree with your mother," Hook proclaims. "No puppies."

It's almost enough to make Emma change her mind but she really doesn't need to look after four pups so the three of them eventually drop the little ones off at the animal shelter, who promise to take good care of them.

* * *

_Two people I'm going to address: Andria - I look forward to reading your little reviews every day, thanks for the support. (Thanks for the support of everyone who's reading ;D)  
Sian - taking your criticism on board although I do disagree with you. Seeing the spoiler pictures, Emma glued to Hook is really not far fetched and her fear of losing the people she loves is quite big so her showing concern is definitely not a weakness. I could go into this and start writing meta but I won't._


	17. Day 17 - Ghosts Part I

_This will lead to something, don't worry. I mean, you may guess to what ;)  
I'm not sure, this might be in two or three parts and I apologise for any mistake in this one, I caught myself reading phrases related to studying at one point because i'm SO tired. Jut let me know if there are stupid mistakes and I can correct it._

* * *

**Chapter 17 – Ghosts Part I**

Last year, Henry and Emma had decided that their Christmas movie would always be A Christmas Carol and after they'd dropped off the puppies – Henry vehemently protesting on the way home, saying they should've kept them – they had decided it was time to introduce Hook to the pleasures of that film and so they had sat in the living room, cuddled up, watching the film and going to bed soon after.

* * *

Killian is wide awake now, his skin cold from sweat, his heartbeat fast and erratic. As a child he'd been a good sleeper but only if Liam had tucked him in. As a lieutenant he'd slept heavenly, rocked to sleep every night by the swaying of the boat on the open sea. As a pirate the sleeping had become harder but what had tipped him over the edge was the loss of Milah. Chasing the Crocodile had taken its toll on Killian Jones's sleeping habits, making them almost non-existent. The first night he'd ever slept well again had been with his arms wrapped around Emma's body, his nose hidden in her curls with the smell of her filling his nostrils.

Something had woken him though, a nightmare he is sure, and he can't seem to calm down. Breathing doesn't help, trying to focus on Emma doesn't help; nothing seemed to help.

Killian then turns his head, looking at his beautiful princess, her golden tresses sprawled around her like a halo and he smiles. That's when it comes back to him, a voice in his sleep, a voice he had not heard for decades and had hoped never to hear again. _You can't save her _the voice had kept saying as he watched his beloved float down down down into the darkest blues of the ocean, eyes wide open and fixed on Killian, full of fear and desperation but immobile and unable to breathe. The recollection of the dream alone lets him break out into cold sweat again. He pulls his knees up, and props up his chin on them, his hand covering his eyes as he tries to make sense of his dream. He remembers eel swimming around the Jolly Roger, in waters he knows are not favoured by the fish.

He suddenly feels a hand on his back and a shift on the bed when Emma starts to wake up, finding him sitting in the dark, still as a statue.

"What's the matter?" she asks, her voice laced heavy with sleep.

Killian turns around to search for her in the semi-darkness, finding her looking at him intently.

"It's nothing, love," he reassures her, but Emma being Emma, she can spot the lie and calls him out on it, shaking her head at him. "I don't believe you," she proclaims.

"Don't worry, Swan. I just couldn't sleep," he reassures her yet again, no more believable than before

Her arms reach around him, her head leaning against his right shoulder and she waits for him to say something. But Killian has gone back to his mind place, pondering on that dream and the voice within it. He knows it is a thing of the impossible for that person to be alive and well but he recognises the sound of it well enough to know he's right. She's haunting his dreams, the slimy witch, who had once almost taken the life of his first love.

Emma – soothing him with slow circles drawn on his back with her hands – slowly realises that it must have been a dream and with a kiss to his shoulder she says, "It was just a dream."

It rattles Killian out of his thoughts and he places his hand on top of hers on his left shoulder, bringing it around to kiss her palm.

"Aye, you are right," he whispers against it and lies back down, pulling Emma closer to him so she cradles up nicely beside him, his arm around her and his shoulder as her pillow.

He falls asleep to the sound of a raring sea and wakes up seconds later on the Jolly Roger, soaked in salty water from the enormous waves crashing over the railing, the screams of her crew drowning in the sound of the howling wind.

* * *

_It's not longer than the others but it still needs to be in separate parts._

_Also, it's your interpretation of who he sees drowning in his dream, Emma or Milah, I didn't specify on purpose. _

_Thank you for reading! Thoughts?_


	18. Day 18 - Ghosts Part II

_Sorry for the lack of Emma, she'll be in the next one again, which is also the end of this mini arc. Well, kinda. It's going to be _Ghosts Part III _but it'll tie into the rest of the days. Wow. I've made it to day 18... 7 to go!_

* * *

**Day 18 – Ghosts Part II**

When he wakes up in the morning he feels more tired than before he went to bed. His past – the things he'd done, the people he'd hurt but also the people he'd protected – had plagued his dreams and now he's still a bit shaken.

Emma is still sound asleep beside him, so he gets up as quietly as possible, trying not to wake her and after dressing himself, steals out of the flat, walking the dock and watching over the sea. As he walks, more and more bits of his dreams come back to him; the drowning woman, the storm on the Jolly Roger, his crew screaming for their lives, he doesn't know what's worse, the fact that some of these things happened or that some hadn't. Or that Milah's face kept changing into Emma's and back. He sits down on a bench eventually, staring out to the open sea and doesn't notice when someone approaches him. It's only when the bench gives way a little that he turns his head to find Henry sitting next to him. At the same time, he sees movement on the horizon from the corner of his eyes, small but it's there. Only, he cannot tell what it is he just saw and when he turns it's gone.

"You okay?" the boy asks, seeing the almost scared look on the pirate's face.

Killian nods absentmindedly, still staring at the horizon. He could swear he saw something but apparently he didn't, so he turns his head back to face Henry.

"Does your mother know you're out here?" he asks.

"No. Does she know you're out here?" Henry retorts.

Killian chuckles. "No," he says and Henry smiles. They both know she'll be wondering where they are because usually she is the first to wake up.

"Do you think you could convince mum to get at least one of the puppies?" Henry dares to ask, resulting in a smirking pirate, who rather appreciates the implication that he has even the slightest influence on his stubborn princess. But he has no interest in a puppy ("You like them." "No Swan, I most certainly do not." "Yes you do, just admit it." "Never." "Fine.") so he shrugs his shoulders. "Why would I try to do that?"

Henry impishly glances at the pirate, challenging him with a "Afraid she'll give the dog more attention than you?" to which Killian vehemently protests. His Swan would never give anyone more attention than him. Unless they were a villain and needed to be put in their place. Or they were a baby, happening to be her brother. Or… possibly a puppy.

"So you'll try?" the boy inquires again and Killian realises he doesn't have much of a choice. A few weeks of living together under the same roof and Henry already knows exactly what to do to get to make him do things and he already dreads the day he and Emma have kids of their own (not that he's thought about it. At all.)

"Aye, lad. I'll try," he answers, receiving a wide grin from Henry in reply.

"Shall I tell mum you're out here?" he then asks, getting up, shivering slightly but Killian shakes his head.

"I won't be a minute."

Henry nods, his hands tucked inside his pocked to protect them from the cold and then he turns around, walking back to the apartment, while Hook stays put.

It is then, as he watches the lad walk, that another wave of recollection hits him. He knows Henry has been under a sleeping curse once, Emma had told him, but what he had dreamt had been different. He has no real experience with sleeping curses himself but that didn't mean he could spot when something was off. And something had been off when, in his dream. Henry had suddenly fallen, after running towards his mother and at the same time, Emma had collapsed right by his side, dropping to the floor like a sack of potatoes and Killian had walked around town, finding people lying around everywhere, some sleeping on the floor, some sitting in chairs, holding whatever object in their hands that they had been holding when the strange curse had happened.

He shivers, shaking the memory of the dream away. There's only one person he knows who would use such a curse and he doesn't even want to know why he dreamt of her.

And then he remembers the film he had watched with Henry and Emma the night before, the one about the ghosts who had haunted the old man. He feels like that old man, he feels haunted by his past and by things that might come and it feels like it's preventing him from living the now.

When he gets up stiffly – his hand frozen, his legs feeling like icicles and his ears burning from the cold – he believes to hear a strangely familiar, high-pitched laughter in the distance. His eyes search the vicinity but don't see anything at all and with a last look, he walks back towards the apartment. His intention had been to clear his head, instead it's filled with even stranger things.

* * *

_I'm not sure when I'll be able to update tomorrow as I am at an HP party... Maybe you'll get two chapters on the 20th... _


	19. Day 19 - Ghosts Part III

_I said I was going to be late... didn't think it'd be this late but I'm pre-celebrating Xmas with mum as I am flying to England tomorrow. I'll get Day 20 up tonight at the usual time.  
_

_Conclusion to the Ghosts chapter =) Well... almost conclusions...  
_

* * *

**Day 19 – Ghosts Part III**

"You know you can talk to me, right?" Emma rattles his thoughts at lunchtime. He's been staring at the same spot on the wall for about a full ten minutes, convincing Emma that something was off. She'd tried to talk but he had been too far away to realise. Now however, he turns his head to face her.

"Pardon me, love," he says, "I didn't sleep well."

Emma nods. She woke up a couple of times during the night because he was tossing and turning in his sleep, something she wasn't used to of him. She'd tried to calm him down, whispering sweet words to him, touching his arm or stroking his cheek, nothing had helped. He hadn't even woken, he had simply kept twitching, his brows furrowed with worry.

"You wanna talk about it?" she asks.

There's a faint smile on his lips but he shakes his head. "There's nothing to talk about, lass."

She knows then, that something is going on. He calls her _love _all the time. Sometimes it's _darling, _quite frequently it's simply _Swan_ and when he feels particularly sincere it's always _Emma_. But _lass? _He hardly calls her that anymore, the word sounding almost too formal in his mouth.

She takes his hand from across the table, holding on tight. That's when he glances up from the plate in front of him again, meeting her eyes. The troubles are etched into his blue eyes and Emma wishes she could just kiss him better.

"Do you think this town has had a too long run of quiet moments?" he contemplates, holding on to her hand. "It's been more than six weeks after all," he adds.

"Hey, weren't you the one telling me to enjoy the quiet moments?" Emma feels strange, being the optimistic one for once. Usually it's Killian who keeps her spirits up. Usually it's Killian who has the rosier outlook on life and makes sure she can see it as well. She's simply not used to him being this broody unless there is something horrible going on, like his heart being out of his body or his lips being cursed.

There is a real smile on his face now, however. "Aye, that I have," he tells her. "And I am more than glad that you have taken my advice," he grins, his usual mischief that she secretly (or not so secretly) adores almost returned to his face. It's only there for a second though, before his mood shifts again.

"Killian," she says, leaning forward in her chair, "talk to me, please?"

He takes her hand to his mouth then, kissing her knuckles. "Shall we venture down to the docks for a stroll?" he asks.

"Will you talk to me then?"

"Aye. I will tell you a story then," he says and Emma furrows her brow, not sure what he means by that. She gets up however, pays their lunch and hand in hand they walk down the streets, trying not to shiver from the cold. Killian sneezes a couple of times, making Emma glance at him worriedly.

"You should really wear a scarf," she scolds him, glad that he at least agreed to the warm winter coat she got him.

"So, what story do you want to tell me?" Emma inquires and Killian clears his throat, readying himself for what he has to tell her. He realises that in fact, he knows more about her past than she does about his and that even though she is the one with the hard shell around her.

"It's the story of a villain. Of several villains," he begins, making her frown.

"Go on," she says when he doesn't continue.

"There was once a villain who thought he could have it all. He thought he could have the sea and the woman he loved and the riches he needed. He thought he could live his life in full without caring about anything. But when he found himself in peril on high sea, his beloved got thrown overboard and he had to watch helplessly as she sank deeper and deeper into the depth of the sea. He always knew he was an outlaw, he had chosen that life for himself but he wasn't evil. He took what he needed, nothing more, nothing less. He treated his crew well and they followed him wherever. But when his love almost died, he shouted at the sea witch he knew to be responsible for the storm and begged her to let his love live. She granted him his wish but he became enslaved to her. Whenever he travelled the seas, he had to pay a price. Sometimes the price was secrets, sometimes the price was gold, but sometimes the price was death. And he would pay it because if not, his beloved would die. And he didn't realise that his heart darkened with every deed because he enjoyed what he was doing.

Years later, his beloved died by the hand of someone else and he broke out of the contract, enraging the witch, but she could not harm him. He had since gotten a magic bean in exchange for discovering a magical object's whereabouts and travelled to a different realm where the sea witch had no power. When he returned, his mind set on revenge, he sought out the help of a dark witch who proclaimed she could help him find a reptile..."

Emma listens intently as they sit down on the bench that Killian had sat on the morning with Henry and when Killian finishes his sentence, he looks at her. She is still not sure why he is telling her this, so she waits for him to continue.

He sighs, not sure what he wants to tell with the story himself.

"So..." Emma finally breaks the silence, "You did horrible things while under the rule of an evil witch? Sounds familiar. But that doesn't make you a villain, Killian."

"That is not my point, love," he exclaims. "The point is, I have been hunted by the witches in my dreams and I can't shake the feeling that they are after me. I made deals with each of them. And each of them has a grudge against me for some things I did while in their services, or they in mine."

Emma hooks her arm under his and looks at him. "Whatever may come, you know we do things together now and we will manage."

* * *

Later in the day, after Emma finishes her shift at the station and Killian picks her up to walk home, they stop in their tracks as an unfamiliar car drives through town, black and white and almost scary looking. It's too dark to see the person inside, but a shiver runs down Emma's spine and she wonders, if only briefly, if Killian's intuition was right and trouble was coming.

More than six weeks of quiet moments was definitely pushing it in Storybrooke.

* * *

_What even did I just write? Anyway, I just liked the idea of Killian knowing all our QoD in some way and maybe I'll explore the idea a bit further because I have a feeling there is more to this than he thinks. And possibly in quite a different way than he thinks, too... _


	20. Day 20 - Tea

_This is a fluff chapter after those 3 parts of strangeness... _

_Thanks to everyone who is still reading, I'm honestly very touched (and surprised hahaha).  
(Also, to those asking what the other three chapters had to do with Xmas: It started out in my head as the three Ghosts of Christmas. Ursula as the ghost of Killian's past coming to haunt his dreams, Maleficent as the future since we haven't yet seen an entire place under the sleeping curse which is what the "original" fairytale has and Cruella as the present since she's the first to arrive in town and I just have this idea that she's the one who's going to cause the most trouble for Killian even though Ursula seems to be more likely. I wanted to write it in 3 parts, one "ghost" for each chapter but the writing took a slightly different turn.)_

* * *

**Day 20 - Tea**

They tried not to worry too much about the new arrival to town they had witnessed. Obviously Emma had informed Regina because Storybrooke was not supposed to be found but Regina had insisted that they had imagined the car or that they had just never noticed it before.

When they wake up in the morning, it's the least of her problems. Killian is already awake, looking rather battered, eyes puffed, nose red, his breathing haggard and short, sitting on his side of the bed with the blankets as far up as possible. Emma notices all the signs of a severe cold and puts here hand on his forehead, checking his temperature. He's burning up and when her cold hand touches his burning forehead, he shivers.

"Maybe I should've worn that scarf..." he croaks, pulling her to him, seeking out the warmth of her body.

"I'm voting for staying in bed all day, Swan..."

Emma chuckles. She didn't think Captain Hook ever got sick. Apparently she was very, very wrong. Her head is tucked under his chin and somehow her position – kind of sitting on the bed, but with Hook as a backrest – is in both parts very comfortable and uncomfortable. She can feel him puffing in reaction to her chuckle, his breath rippling her hair. Emma shifts in his arms, sitting up so she can properly look at him.

"I think you should definitely stay in bed today," she agrees. "But I have a job to go to. I will get you a tea though. And maybe something stronger."

She gets up (not an easy thing when your pirate boyfriend with a cold tries to hold you back) and taps out of the bedroom barefooted. At the door she turns around (a mistake, she knows). Killian looks at her with those big blue eyes, pouting, trying to convince her to stay in with him.

Emma presses her lips together in order to hide the smile on her face, turns around and walks off to the kitchen.

When the tea is ready, she goes back to their room and finds Killian still sitting on the bed with the blankets up, looking adorably miserable.

Emma sits down on the edge of the bed, holding out the tea mug with one hand and Ibuprofen in the other.

"Is this like jelly?" he asks between coughs, looking at the pills.

Emma looks at him bemusedly, not entirely grasping his connection of the pills to jelly. "What do you mean?"

"Do they have some magical healing powers, too?" he croaks and Emma cannot help but break out into laughter. Sometimes she can't quite believe how unbelievably clueless he is where modern inventions are concerned. He frowns at her, not understanding what's so funny, but when Emma leans in to place a kiss on his cheek, he decides to hum happily instead.

"The pills are not magical but they will help. The jelly… the jelly is just jelly," she tells him and she can almost see the moment the penny drops.

"Oh…" he says, finally taking the mug out of her hand, carefully sipping the hot beverage.

"I thought you were going to give me something stronger?" he notes.

"That's what the Ibuprofen is for," she explains. "Did you think I'd give you rum?"

Killian shrugs his shoulders, making her shake her head in amusement.

"Rum doesn't solve everything."

"I deny to accept that statement, love," he grins, sipping more tea. Emma then waves the pills in front of his face and after a short debate about the benefits to rum instead of pills, he reluctantly agrees to swallow the modern cure for a fever and a cold, drowning them with a gulp of tea.

Emma runs her fingers through his hair, placing a kiss on his forehead before she gets up to get changed. It doesn't take her too long even though Killian keeps trying to convince her of staying in bed. ("I have to bring Henry to school." "The lad's old enough to walk there." "I have to be at work in half an hour." "Ask your father to cover your shift.")

Before she leaves, she instructs him to drink loads of tea and stay in bed to keep warm.

When he turns up at the station four hours later, she sends him a scolding look. Of course he was not going to do as she said. He looks pale and groggy, shuffling his feet where he normally struts through the station, his hair a dishevelled mess, his clothes ruffled and messy. She was mad at him a second ago, but seeing him this miserable makes her heart go soft and she only scolds him a little bit, insisting that the bed would've been the better option for him

"Not when you're not there," he mumbles, slumping down on a chair.

"You're not going to get better here either," she chides, checking his temperature with the back of her hand again. He is still quite hot and she goes to find a blanket in the storage room.

Killian gratefully accepts it and watches her work for the next ten minutes before he falls asleep on the chair.

"Idiot…," she murmurs lovingly when she looks up from her notes, hoping he will get better quickly.

* * *

_He's probably going to be sick for a few days, poor pirate... (and yes, I did kind of get inspired by Ichabod being sick in SH...). _

_Tomorrow I'm travelling but I think I'll be able to update at the usual time as I have plenty of time to finish writing all the chapters. _

_Have a lovely Sunday my lovelies!  
_


	21. Day 21 - Christmas Movies

_Sorry guys, I arrived at my host family's rather late last night and we had a lot to catch up with so I didn't get to update then._

* * *

**Day 21 – Christmas Movies**

Two days later he is still coughing but at least his fever has gone down almost completely. To Emma's utter annoyance (she thought it was totally adorable but if she'd said that, he would've shamelessly used it to his advantage) he had insisted on following her around nonetheless, wrapped up in a thick coat, roughly three scarfs, a beanie and a glove. During the night he'd spooned up behind her, on the one hand feeling bad for potentially infecting her, on the other hand hoping exactly that would happen so she would have to stay at home with him. She doesn't get sick though but having a sick boyfriend to nurse, she realises, is actually a good excuse to stay at home and watch movies all day long and where two days before she had not wanted to ask her father to cover for her, she now feels like cuddling up all day long. So she does eventually ask David, and he is willing enough to take her shift.

Since the drinking incident during which Hook had insisted that he was taking this relationship very seriously without holding himself back, David had had to acknowledge that Killian was, in parts, less of a pirate than he had first assumed and he had always liked Hook (well, almost always) so he is happy to help out his daughter and her boyfriend.

"David is taking my afternoon shift," Emma proclaims with her phone in her hand, as she walks into the living room where Killian is half lying, half sitting on the couch. Emma plonks down by his feet and he grins happily at her, glad that he finally gets a quiet day with her. Ever since their first night in the apartment, their quiet moments had become rare with almost always someone else around. Killian reaches his hand out, massaging the back of Emma's neck and she hums contently, rolling her head a little.

"So," she purrs, "We have an enormous list of Christmas movies to choose from, what would you like to see first?"

Her hand reaches out for the remote, turning the TV on and checking the Christmas list on Netflix.

"You choose, love," he insists since he doesn't know any of the films on the screen. "If you won't mind, a ghost story is my least favourite pick at this moment, though."

Emma nods in acknowledgment, not wanting him to have haunted dreams of evil witches again.

"I suggest a British classic then. _Love Actually_."

"Sounds perfect," he hums and gets up to make another tea while Emma starts the movie.

A few minutes later she's curled into his side, his shoulder her pillow and they start the film, sipping ginger-lemon tea (with a bit of rum, he couldn't resist).

Killian, still not used to the fast pacing of modern films (or films in general really), quickly loses track of all the characters and their connections and Emma has to murmur explanations every now and again. While the movie is playing, she takes his hand and plays with his fingers for a while. Killian is fascinated by the different stories, by the links between all of the characters, by the love stories but most of all he is fascinated by the noises Emma makes whenever one of her favourite stories is on, David and Natalie or Daniel, Sam and Joanna.

He has noticed before, that even though his Swan is quite reserved with words, when she watches films, it happens quite frequently, that she squeals a little, or exclaims how cute some scenes are (also, how hot some of the actors are, he always gets a bit jealous) or how she, as a kid, had wished something like this would happen to her.

"But you are one of those stories now," he told her while watching one of the so-called Disney movies (not his, thank the lords) and Emma had chuckled.

"True. It's still a bit strange to think that though," she had replied.

When the current film is over, she looks at him, her green eyes suddenly very sincere.

"I'm sorry," she says and he frowns.

"What do you have to be sorry for, love?"

"When you found me in New York. I'm sorry I didn't remember you." Watching the Hethrow arrival scene, with people welcoming home their loved ones, joy in their eyes, Emma realised that Hook had had that look in his eyes back in New York and she'd suddenly felt a twinge in her heart, grasping only now, how she must have hurt him with her reaction.

Killian looks down at her, touching his forehead to hers. "Emma," he says with sincerity, "you came back once you did, that's all that matters."

"But I was so prickly with you…" the memory pains her. She knows fully well why she'd done it, but that didn't change how she felt about it. However, once again, Killian knows just as well.

"I know how your mind works, love. You tried to push me away out of fear. I'm glad you don't do that anymore, but I understand why you did it."

"At first, because I didn't want to be disappointed. Later, because I feared it could get serious," she confesses and Killian smiles.

"Aye. And serious it is."

Emma feels her stomach flip and she smiles at him, leaning in to kiss him tenderly. He immediately responds to her kiss, pulling her closer, but has to break the kiss when a sudden coughing fit hits him. Emma laughs.

"Let's watch another movie," she says, her shoulders still shaking a little and, annoyed by his cold and the coughing fit, he grumbles an "okay", relaxing into the cushions as they start the second film.

* * *

_The last 4 chapters will contain all the fluff again, but the Ghosts arc will also come up again._


	22. Day 22 - Santa

_Sorry lovelies, I am always a little busy when I'm on holidays here... I will really really try to get today's chapter up _today _and not tomorrow... I should manage later in the day after we've done some shopping =)_

_The fluff is totally back btw, I hope you enjoy it!_

* * *

**Day 22 – Santa**

"I need a favour," she says, walking into Granny's where she knows Killian is.

He turns around when he hears her, eyebrow raised and head tilted to the side. "What is it?" he asks.

"Well, apparently the men of this family are not very immune to colds. Dad's gotten sick over night and he promised Mary Margaret to help her with the Christmas celebration at the school tonight."

"And what is it you would like me to do?"

Emma grins. "Well… He was supposed to their Santa," she reveals with a cheeky glimmer in her eyes. She knows how much he despises the whole dressing up thing, still glad they got him to dress up as an elf a week ago and she can see it now just how much he wants to say no. His posture changes, shoulders slacking a little before he props himself up again, straightening his spine.

"Swan, I really don't think I should be your first choice?"

"Okay," she simply agrees. "I'll go ask Leroy then, I'm sure the kids won't mind a grumpy Santa…"

She makes to turn around, hiding the grin on her face and out of the corner of her eye, she can see how he shuffles on his feet, wringing with the decision of letting her ask the dwarf or sacrificing his pride for one night.

Emma is almost at the door, when she hears his sigh. "Fine," he exhales, "I'll be your bloody Santa."

There's a wide smile on her face when she turns around again to face him. He's walked up behind her with a look on his face that makes her laugh. It's a mixture between wanting to pounce her and wanting to strangle her. The first he wouldn't do here, the second he would never do at all but it still makes her laugh. She takes a step closer to him, placing her hand on his cheek.

"Thank you," she hums. "Mom and Dad will appreciate your help."

"I'm not doing it for them," he grumbles and Emma leans in to place a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Thank you," she murmurs again. "Be at the school by four, mom has the costume and I'll meet you there," she then informs him before kissing him again and leaving the diner.

* * *

She walks into the school building at four thirty and finds Mary Margaret fussing over Santa's beard. Killian, bless his soul, endures it all with unfathomable patience, only the clench in his jaw and the look in his eyes revealing to her how much he hopes she appreciates his efforts.

Mary Margaret smiles at her daughter when she enters the room. "He makes a good Santa, thanks for convincing him."

Emma laughs. "No problem. I'm not entirely sure that he will make a good Santa though."

She can hear a grumble emanating from deep within his chest and grins, walking up to him.

"Let me," she says to her mother, releasing her from fussing over the beard and adjusts it herself.

"There, that's perfect," she exclaims, kissing him tenderly, his fake white beard tickling her skin.

"The things I do for you…" Killian groans.

"Cheer up," she smiles, "the kids will love you more if you're not grumpy all night long."

At exactly five, he sits on his chair in the hall, waiting for the kids and their parents to arrive and just like Emma predicted, he makes a wonderful Santa. He left his grumpy self in the other room, practised a couple of _ ho ho ho_'s and when the kids storm into the hall, watching all the Christmas movies with Emma pays off. He is wonderful, saying all the right things to the little ones (most of them are well aware that he's not the real Santa, they are all, after all, fairy tale children), telling them to stay good because good always wins, cheering them up with little jokes and just generally putting smiles on everyone's faces. It warms Emma's heart to watch him and at some point a little girl, sitting on Killian's lap, looks up at her, asking what it is she does as she is apparently just a human. It makes her laugh and she leans down to be on eyelevel with the little girl.

"You know how Santa takes care of all the people in the world, making them happy with presents and nice words?" she asks and the girl nods. "Well, I am here to make sure Santa also gets his presents and his nice words."

"So you are Mrs Clause?" the girl giggles and Emma's eyes flicker to Killian's for a moment.

"Not quite," she tells the girl, who presses her lips together and frowns, trying to figure out what that means. Then she shrugs her tiny shoulders and reaches out to give Emma a hug first, then Killian, before hopping off his lap and running off to her mum.

An hour later, after everyone's finally left, Killian still sits in his chair and when Emma walks past, he grabs her arm, spinning her into his lap.

"So, Emma," he grumbles in his Santa voice, "What is your wish for Christmas this year?"

Emma shifts a little in his lap so she can look him in the eyes. "I've got everything I want," she smiles and she can see how his blue eyes soften at her words.

"I may have one little wish, though," she adds. Killian nods his head to let her continue. "I wish to get a kiss from Santa" she whispers through his white wig into his ear.

Killian starts smiling immediately, Emma can see it through his beard. "Your wish is my command," he whispers back, pulling her face close to his and meeting her lips with his.

"Mrs Clause," he chuckles into the kiss at one point, earning a playful slap to his shoulder from Emma. Playing Santa really hadn't been so terrible after all.

* * *

_Shall we sing some carols together? ;)_


	23. Day 23 - Seldging

_On time today, yay me! There's two more days to come and then I can say I've done it! I can't believe it! _

_Anyway, tomorrow I'll be running from one place to the next so I can't promise an on time publishing again... we'll see..._

* * *

**Day 23 – Sledging**

It hasn't snowed in days now but Storybrooke is still covered in white and with Killian all healthy again and in a surprisingly Christmas-y mood after his Santa adventure, he is up for all the fun that could possibly ever happen. So when Henry walks into the kitchen around ten in the morning, still wearing his PJ's and his eyes half closed, he is not prepared for the sight that presents itself to him. Killian sits on the counter, his feet propped up on a family sledge, his winter coat hanging on one of the chairs.

"Where's mom?" Henry asks confused, receiving a broad grin from the pirate in reply.

"Working. I plan on freeing her from it. You up for some fun, lad?"

"Always," Henry replies, waking up rather quickly now. "Where the hell did you get that thing from?" he then asks, pointing at the sledge.

"Gold's shop," Killian retorts, "Belle found it and thought you might like it so she asked me to pick it up.

"That's nice of her," Henry smiles. Since Gold's disappearance he's tried to help Belle whenever he can, she is, after all, kind of his grandmother.

"Have you shown mom yet?"

Killian shakes his head, jumping down from the counter. "Come on now, hurry up so we can get her and have some fun," he instructs, making Henry grin and shake his head.

* * *

Twenty minutes later they're walking into the station, the sledge on Killian's back and his arm slung over Henry's shoulder.

"What are you two doing here?" Emma asks when she sees her boys enter the station, looking thick as thieves.

"We're here to kidnap you," her son grins. Killian mirrors Henry's grin with one of his own, his eyebrows raised at Emma, a cheeky flash glinting behind his eyes.

"I'm working…" she insists only half-heartedly.

"Take your talking phone and the other thing with you and you'll be fine," Killian tells her and both Emma and Henry whisper "phone" at him when he still doesn't get the name right.

She looks from Henry to Hook and back, contemplating the pros and cons of some fun and she has to agree that her phone will do in case of an emergency so she grabs her things and soon enough the three of them are in the woods, stomping up the snow covered road where previous sleigh tracks prove that they're not the first ones with the idea. Emma takes Killian's hand, linking their fingers together and throws her other arm around Henry's shoulder. It feels so much like a proper family outing and it should scare her but instead it just makes her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Almost a month of living together may not be all that much, but she has learnt that she can do it. She can let people in and take part in her life, she can let people care for her and help her and support her without wanting to run away every ten minutes. She can open herself up again, letting those walls crumble a bit and let people in and she is thankful for that, she never thought it possible.

They giggle a lot on their way up to the hill, Henry running ahead of them most of the time and Emma and Killian contently walking in silence with a few shared words every now and then.

"He requested I convince you to get at least one puppy for him…" Killian mentions at one point, nodding in Henry's direction and Emma starts laughing.

"How on earth did he manage to do that?" she asks between laughs, receiving a glare from Killian.

"I'd rather not say," he groans, making her laugh even more.

At that moment, Henry calls down to them, urging them to hurry up and when they reach the top of the hill, Killian puts the sledge down, letting Henry hop on first, followed by Emma and he gets on last, holding Emma around her waist, kissing her neck as best he can through the layers he's wearing.

"Ready?" Henry inquires from the front and both Emma and Killian affirm.

It's a bumpy ride down. It involves a lot of screaming and shouting and laughing and falling off the sledge and bumping into the snow at the side of the road. Emma hasn't laughed so much in a while, especially when Hook falls of the sledge and lands on his bum, holding on to her even more than before after that. Other people join them during the afternoon, Henry finds some of his friends and sledges down with them and the woods turn into one huge snowball fight field again.

* * *

_Look out for a different treat tomorrow. I'll be posting my fic for my cs giftee sometime over the next two days! A little AU ;D_


	24. Day 24 - Carols

_Sorry guys, Christams is a very busy time of the year and I literally had time to post my CSSS gift yesterday before I got called downstairs to help with food prep and all... Here's day 24, day 25 follows in a few minutes!._

* * *

**Day 24 – Carols**

They're comfortably cuddled up on the sofa in front of the fire, warming their frozen and bruised limbs from all the sledging they did, when there is a sound at the front door.

Henry is reading in his room but he's the first to hear, sticking his head around the corner as soon as he realises who's outside.

"Mom, it's Carol Singers," he tells her and she groans, not wanting to get up from the comfort of the sofa and Killian's arms.

Nevertheless, she pushes off the sofa, pulling Killian up with her, grinning at the new PJ's she's gotten him (they're covered in Santas and elves. She thought it was hilarious, he'd grumbled and put them on anyway).

"Let them in," she says n Henry's direction, dragging Hook with her.

When the two of them round the corner, the Carol singers are standing in the corridor, singing _Oh Come all Ye Faithful_, filling the apartment with beautiful tunes.

Emma leans into Killian and smiles. She's felt the Christmas spirit the entire month but right now, the joy and love of Christmas Eve fills her heart and warms her from the inside out. Killian has his arm around her and presses a soft kiss on her head. It is the first time he's experienced this kind of Christmas and even though only days ago he'd been a bit grumpy about all the silly traditions, he now enjoys them a great deal. He has seen what it does to people. Some get really stressed out, but others, like Emma, become calm and balanced people, glowing and happy and content.

Henry joins the two of them to watch and listen to the Carol singers, leaning into his mother who puts her arm around her son. In that moment, Emma realises just how much they have grown into a little family, the three of them in their apartment by the docks and even if Henry doesn't spend all his time here and even though Emma still has moments of short panic attacks, doubting that she can do this, that she is ready for all this commitment, and even though Killian still craves for the open sea and the freedom he once enjoyed, all three of them have found a place that makes them feel save, that makes them want to stay and live normal lives.

The Carol Singers strike up another song, this time _Last Christmas_ and Emma almost laughs at the irony. A year ago she'd been falling in love with another guy in another place, another world really and he had turned out to only toy with her, throwing her heart away like a hot potato but the person who had caught it and held on to it was standing next to her right now and she knew that he would always save it for her, he would always protect her from pain of any kind and when she turns to look at him, she can see that he's listening to the lyrics of the song as much as she is, thinking the exact same thoughts. He isn't that different. He had given his heart to someone who couldn't accept it and even though that had been Emma, she had changed so much, opened up so much that now she could. Her heart was his and his heart was hers and he couldn't help but smile at her; not one of his cheeky "I'll-get-you-to-the-bedroom-in-a-minute" smiles but a genuine, happy, content smile filled with all the love he has for her and Emma can only return with a smile of her own, her emerald eyes sparkling, glancing at his lips and back up to the depth of his ocean eyes. Killian leans down and their lips meet in a soft kiss.

The song ends and Emma gives the Carol singers a few dollars and watches them leave, before she turns back and in flush of emotions she hugs both her men to her while each of them places a kiss on her cheek.

* * *

_Last chapter coming... I'm sorry to say goodbye to this story but I will definitely continue writing on other stuff. I have about 3 WIPs and at least another 5 story ideas =)_


	25. Day 25 - Presents

_That's it, the final chapter. I can't believe I did the 25 days (even though I _am_late...oops). Thank you for everyone who kept reading and reviewing and all that. If I do this again, I will start earlier because 25 chapters of fluff is almost too cheesy to write ;)_

_ENJOY!_

* * *

**Day 25 – Presents**

"Mom, mom, mom!" Henry wakes them both the next day. "Merry Christmas!"

He storms into their bedroom where Emma and Killian lie cuddled up in their warm bed. They squint at Henry, who happily jumps onto their bed, making Killian growls words into Emma's shoulder that she's glad the boy can't heart. It wakes her up though and with a light slap to Killian's chest, she sits up.

"Merry Christmas, kid," she grins, her eyes adjusting to the light.

"There's loads of presents under the tree, mom!" Henry announces giddily and jumps off the bed again, running ahead of them towards the living room.

"Isn't he a bit too old to still believe in Santa?" Killian moans.

"Heart of the truest believer," Emma simply laughs, throwing her legs over the bed. "Come on, sleepy head, present time!"

She sounds almost as excited as her son and Killian drags himself out of the warmth of the bed, throwing a shirt over his head. He then trots off after Emma, trying to shake his fatigue.

There are indeed a lot of presents under the tree and he's surprised to see them all (he has no idea when Emma had time to put them there).

Henry is already unwrapping his new Comic collection from David and Mary Margaret, the editions of the magazines sprawled around him and Emma goes to find her and Hook's presents.

There are a lot more presents under the tree than she expected and she wonders where they all came from. She finds one for Hook and one for herself, both from her parents, and sits down on the sofa, where Killian has already made himself comfortable and almost falls asleep again.

Emma nudges him with the present and smiles at the surprised look on his face. He didn't actually expect presents at all. Who would give him anything?

He puts his hand out carefully to take the present and then opens it with his hook. Inside he finds a soft black scarf and a matching beanie with a personalised note from Mary Margaret, telling him to stay warm.

Emma finds a photo album in her present with pictures of her, her family and her friends, ever since she found Storybrooke and was reunited with them. She has to fight the tears that start stinging her eyes.

Hook looks over her shoulder as she turns page-by-page, smiling at each photo and remembering the moments they were taken. It's her journey of finding herself, her home, her family and she wants to call her parents immediately and tell them how much she loves them because she never thought she'd have a family like this. She has no words and can only smile at the warm feeling spreading through her. Henry shows up next to her, commenting on some photos every now and then.

Killian is especially touched when he starts showing up in the pictures as well and he realises they have absolutely accepted him as part of the family too. How he deserves this is still beyond him.

"Henry," Emma whispers to her son, "fetch me Killian's present, will you?" she instructs him and Henry nods, crawling under the tree to find Emma's present for Killian. While checking the name tags, he can hear a sound from one of the presents and with a surprised look at his mom, he picks up a round box and Emma frowns. She has never seen that box before in her life and when she looks at Killian, she realises neither has he.

"What's it say?" she asks her son and he looks at the nametag.

"It's for me…" he replies excitedly, just about remembering to pick up Killian's present on the way.

He puts down both presents carefully and when he starts lifting the lid of the box, Emma curiously looks over his shoulder. There is a sound again and Henry turns around to face his mother.

"I think I know what's inside…" he comments and as soon as the lid is off, he gasps in unison with Emma. She had intended to get him the pup but hadn't gotten around to it but in the box sits little Comet, just waking up from his sleep and yelping when he sees Henry.

"Mom!" Henry squeals happily, "I didn't think you'd get us one!"

"I…I didn't…" Emma confesses and both of them look at Hook.

"I had nothing to do with it," the pirate grumbles, looking at the puppy with his nose crunched up, making both Emma and Henry laugh because they know exactly who will be most attached to the little animal.

"If it was none of you…" Henry muses, "Can we still keep him?"

Sighing, Emma nods. "I did think about getting one for you, so yes. We can keep him."

"Thank you, mom," Henry says.

Hook in the meantime has started unwrapping his present and is now holding a beautiful model of the Jolly Roger in his hand. She looks just like the real one, the yellow railings, the sails, the carvings and he turns to face Emma, speechless.

She chuckles because she hasn't seen him speechless that often. "You like it?" she asks and he can only nod.

"It looks amazing. How? Who?"

"I asked Marco and Pinocchio. I know it's not the real one but I thought… I thought she was your home for so long, you should have something to remember her by and if I have a say in it, we'll get her back somehow. We'll find the real one and get her back."

Killian smiles at her; genuine and happy and full of love, and pulls her towards him for a passionate kiss (Henry quickly busies himself with Comet).

* * *

It's later, when all their close friends have arrived and are seated around the table, that Killian stands by the window, Emma beside him, that, for only a minute, there is something like a green flash on the horizon, illuminating the ocean and showing the shadow of a ship in the distance.

Both Emma and Killian gasp when they see it, looking at each other in surprise but the light is gone in a second, the shadow with it and Mary Margaret calls for the both of them to sit down and they have no choice but to do so.

"Merry Christmas," Mary Margaret says cheerfully and everyone at the table echoes her words and it only takes a few minutes before even Emma and Killian are back into full Christmas spirit mode, laughing and chatting with their friends and family, feeling the Christmas cheer all around.

* * *

_That's it. That's a wrap. THANK YOU ALL! I hope you had wonderful and joyful holidays! _

_(and look out for a special New Years treat, if I find time, I'll write you one ;D)_

_Any last words from you? _


	26. Epilogue

_This is probably the latest I have ever posted something that I wanted to post by a certain time... I said on that I would post something on New Year but life got the better of me. I had some personal issues and when I got home from the holidays I got swamped with work but since I started this before, I wanted to finish it and get it out there so yeah... I don't really know where I was going with it, I just wanted some kind of conclusion to the mini-arc I built into the story which is also why it is probably not as fluffy as it should be... Still, I hope you enjoy it..._

* * *

It'salmost a week into the New Year and she can't believe how much has happened already. She's finally getting around to taking down the Christmas decoration and cleaning up from the massive get-together that had ensued at their place on New Year's Eve. Initially, she'd planned on doing that the day after the party but apart from the fact that a certain pirate had kept her in bed for way too long (and she was not going to complaining about that), there had now been several sightings of strange things.

Firstly, more and more people had noticed the strange car, which Emma had finally realised was so familiar to her due to the _101 Dalmatians _Disney movie and which worried her quite a bit. Cruella de Vil? In Storybrooke? The fact that her father had tried to hide the worried look he threw his wife when Emma had mentioned the name wasn't particularly reassuring either. Secondly, the strange flash she and Killian had spotted on Christmas Day had apparently also caught the eye of Leroy, who, to his usual fashion, had shouted it out to everybody, inventing some strange tale of a ghost ship. Emma had her own suspicion about the ship (there had definitely been a ship on the horizon) and she knew Killian shared her thoughts even though they had not talked about it yet in fear that they were wrong and would only get their hopes up for nothing.

Thirdly, Regina had reported that she thought she was being watched and Regina would not tell her such a thing unless she was actually worried.

Lastly, and most strangely, there were people reporting sightings of Gold.

Emma's investigations into his disappearance had led nowhere until Belle had finally told her a few days ago what had actually happened the night she'd confronted her husband. Apparently, after Emma had saved Killian from Gold's grip and he had ran off like the coward that he was, Belle had found him, his (real) dagger in her hands and the hurt of his betrayal all over her face. She'd confessed to Emma that she'd sent him over the town line for lying to her, deceiving her and hurting her at which point Emma had almost hugged the brunette.

Now, however, it seemed that the Dark One had found a way back in and with him at least one other person, maybe two or three, and that could only mean trouble.

She'd found out just how much on New Year's Day.

* * *

The night before, the night of New Year's Eve, had been amazing. She'd had invited quite a lot of people. Friends and family (at her mother's request even the dwarfs) had gathered in her flat, eating together, laughing together, and celebrating together. The surprisingly long period of uninterrupted bliss had made their little group joyful and almost careless and they genuinely enjoyed each other's company and the fact that Storybrooke finally seemed to be at peace.

Around midnight, they had all swarmed out to the docks. Her mother, as the major, had requested a display of fireworks for the entire town, curtsey of Regina and Emma. Both had agreed, if somewhat reluctantly, but when the time came they gave their everything. Her and Regina were still nowhere near a good friendship and Emma wasn't sure it was ever going to happen but neither of the two women could deny that their magic worked well together. They gave the town a fireworks display none had ever seen before and it probably even rivalled the official firework in New York or any other city in the world.

All the while, Emma had felt Killian's presence beside her and when she'd turned her head to look at him, he'd watched _her_ and not the fireworks, the look in his eyes soft and loving and she'd smiled at him. The magic had tingled in her fingertips and she'd known that she didn't need to watch what she was doing, her magic had become part of her, something that was always there and didn't need her constant attention to be controlled, so she'd let herself melt into his side. His arm had sneaked around her and she'd whispered, "You know there is this New Year's tradition… You're supposed to kiss someone at midnight…"

"Mmmmmh," Killian had hummed, grin on his face and eyebrow slightly raised, just the way she liked it.

"May I have your first kiss of the year, princess?" he'd then whispered softly into her ear, his voice making her shiver, his words making her laugh.

"Only if you promise it won't be the last," she'd replied in a hushed tone.

"Gladly," he'd almost growled before his lips had met hers, soft and hot and wanting and Emma had had no need to see the fireworks or hear people's _oh's _and _ah's_ to know that it had gotten even more magical. She then felt Killian chuckle and knew he'd noticed the spark in the fireworks, too and they'd separated, both laughing.

The next day, after waking up to the sun on her face and Killian's teasing kisses, after a few rounds in the sheets with lots of laughter and sweet whispered words or loudly shouted names, they were interrupted by the return of a yapping puppy and an overly excited Henry. ("Why are you still in bed?" "…We're just…resting" "Oh…okay." "I really don't think he still believes that excuse, love." "He's innocent enough to pretend to believe it for just a little longer…")

After they'd gotten showered and dressed in record time, Henry had explained to them that, while sleepwalking, Sleepy had accidentally reached the town line but instead of just walking further on and getting lost, he'd hit a barrier that had woken him (to the relief of Dopey who was supposed to watch him). Additionally, they had discovered a fountain in the middle of town with a statue of a most disturbing creature that Henry couldn't describe and the inscription _It's our turn now_ on it.

"How utterly mysterious…" Emma had grinned. The tales were strange and the fact that they were once again locked in was disturbing and annoying but an inscription like that was not very subtle and she could hardly deny that she missed the adrenaline rush from chasing a good old villain through Storybrooke.

* * *

It had not taken them very long to figure out whom the message was for. They had arrived at the fountain in time with Regina and the Queen's face had turned ashen in a matter of seconds. Killian followed suit and ever since then, Emma had had her hands full. On the first of January there had been floodings all over town, keeping the fire department busy with pumping out people's cellars. It had kept Emma and David busy with filling out reports. In addition to that, the Pet Rescue was having trouble with all the animals running wild, as if stung by bees and not even Ruby could calm them down. And the Merry Men came to report Will Scarlet missing, who, soon after, had turned up at the Sheriff's station, begging Emma to lock him up somewhere save, not saying a word about why he wanted that.

Then, two days ago, Emma had had her first encounter with Cruella. Henry and her had been walking Comet when a car had pulled up beside them, a woman poking her head out of the driver's window, a smile on her face.

"What a lovely puppy you have there," she'd said and Henry had protectively picked up the dog. "Dalmatian, I believe?"

Emma had laid an arm around her son and nodded at the women. "I don't believe we've met," she'd then said to her. "I'm Emma Swan, I'm the Sheriff around here."

The woman had laughed. "Oh, I've heard a lot about you, Miss Swan. Cruella. Cruella de Vil."

"I know. I hope you are not here to cause trouble." Emma's voice had been firm. Fact was, Cruella had already caused trouble but Emma was determined to keep it to a minimum. But the woman only laughed, a grin lingering on her lips when she said, "Oh Miss Swan, I don't think you want me for an enemy. I know a lot of things about you, about your parents, your boyfriend…" She'd let the words hang in the air and then, with a nod of her head, she'd driven off.

* * *

"How does Cruella de Vil know you?" she asks, stuffing the last Christmas lights into a box. Killian has just walked into the flat, his mind obviously preoccupied with the things that are going on in Storybrooke because he doesn't react.  
The question has been bugging her ever since she'd encountered the woman two days previous but she has not found the time to ask it to Killian or her parents.

"Killian?" she asks when he doesn't reply.

He looks up then, his eyes focusing on her. "Huh? Oh," he says. "The same way I know the other two…"

"Who are the other two?" she inquires as he has never specified.

"Ursula, the sea witch and Maleficent," he confesses and Emma's breath hitches.

"I believe that is a record, even for Regina. Gold, Maleficent, Ursula and Cruella are all out for you?"

"It seems that way, love." His voice is heavy, sad, worried.

Emma gets up, closing the lid of the final box and walks over to her pirate. "Hey, Killian," she almost whispers, "Don't worry. We'll get them, just like we did all the others and we'll do it together, okay?"

After searching her eyes for half a minute, he finally nods. "Together."

She smiles softly and throws her arms around his neck, kissing him tenderly, her lips barely brushing his. Then he latches on, nipping at her lips, coaxing a moan out of her that makes him smile. Together is good. Together is what they have and what protects them. And they still have their quiet moments even with villains running around. It has always been that way and they both know they like it just as it is.

* * *

_This is definitely it now. No more adding to this fic. I have about 5 WiPs that I will probably post at some point, I just don't know when. Sometimes I can't write a word for weeks and then I have to write a lot in a day cause the ideas just keep flowing, I'm sure you know how it is. _

_Anyway. Thank you again for the support I got from each of you! _


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